All The World's A Stage
by LosingTheTaste
Summary: 'All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players'. She never dreamed her life would become this, played out upon the world's stage...with her former high school nemesis right by her side. Two actresses working on the same television show from the same hometown, the same high school, and the same glee club. Eventual Faberry.
1. Chapter 1

1.

There was a camera in the corner of the room with one slightly overweight man standing in front of it fiddling with some switch or another. He grunted a few times and stepped back behind it. Another grunt and then stepped in front of it again to adjust another switch near the front of the camera. A third grunt before stepping back in place behind it. The red light finally flickered on top.

After years in front of them, one would think Rachel Berry knew a thing or two about cameras. However, it seemed that being behind them wasn't part of her nature. She never felt that need to step behind the lens and direct. She just wasn't one of those actors. She knew how to work the camera in terms of performance but didn't have the slightly clue how to operate the actual mechanism.

"He's just making sure it's in focus. They can zoom and edit however they want later. For now, they'll just let the two cameras run. One less person in the room for the interview," the woman sitting next to Rachel smiled.

Rachel nodded and settled into her plush chair a little more comfortably. It wasn't that she was nervous. She'd done plenty of interviews and had always taken pride in the fact that her life was mostly an open book when it came to her fans. She was as honest with them as possible. The few times she had been somewhat less than honest, not outright lying to her fans of course, had seemed to blow up in her face. Still, it was a little more comforting to think that there would be one less person in the room. A tell-all of the behind the scenes of the show that truly made her career? The secrets and private moments that had remained intact over the past few years would soon be revealed and picked apart. The camera's red blinking light suddenly seemed a little daunting.

"The network has finally approval over what will air anyway. Alan still has his hands in everything. I wouldn't worry too much. They just want a good story. The first step to getting a good story is getting a lengthy interview recorded to pick apart later. We'll be fine," the woman assured. "As far as I'm concerned, we can basically forget the cameras are even there. You know as well as I do that Alan will end up in that editing room with whatever poor guy who gets stuck with our episode. I feel bad for the editor of this one."

See, Quinn Fabray was one of those _other _actors. She needed to know everything that was going on. She'd hit her mark every time and was something of a one take wonder in terms of delivery. Sure, she could recreate her emotions perfectly for re-shots from different angles. She was a pro, after all. Her real passion was off the screen. She was the first to leave her mark after cut to check the playback and learn everything she could about being behind the scenes. She knew how the cameras worked. She knew how the entire process from shoot, to edit, to air went down.

Yet another difference between two actresses from the same hometown, the same high school, and eventually the same television show. One preferred spotlight and one preferred controlling it.

With a flurry of moment and nervous energy, Rita Johnston came bustling into the room. She was the network's top billed journalist…more of a gossip columnist really. She had her own blog with spoilers and interviews from every top show on air. She was something of a wonder child as far as celebrity reporting went. Everybody who was anybody did his or her first major interview with Rita. She covered each new project. She covered each new relationship. She knew the ins and outs of all of Hollywood's brightest stars. She respected them though and in turn they gave her the interviews she wanted. She was one of the people who didn't seek to destroy careers but simply build them up. A positive journalist not a slandering gossip…even though that's largely what her blog made up of: the latest celebrity gossip. Still, Rita Johnston was the one everybody went to when they had big news but wanted it revealed tastefully.

It was a natural fit. When _SING_! did their first and only reunion concert for charity at the Hollywood Bowl, Rita Johnston was the only journalist picked to interview the cast and do the 'Behind the Scenes' special. The True Hollywood Story version of _SING!_ and all of the antics off camera. The television show had been Hollywood's biggest pop culture phenomenon in over a decade. It struck gold all across the board: Emmy's, Golden Globes, Grammy's, top iTunes sales, and still making millions in syndication deals with at least three of Fox's subsidiary networks. The smash hit that just wouldn't go away…even five years after the show had been off the air.

"Rachel, we really wanted to do part of your interview with Chase for all of the diehard 'Lemily' fans still filling my inbox with questions for you both," Rita chuckled, taking a seat.

"Long live Lemily," Rachel laughed with a shrug.

"Are you sure you want to do this interview together? It could get a little personal. Is that really what you want?" Rita questioned.

"The truth is we're ready to tell our story. The concert's over. I, I think that Emily Clayton will always be a part of me. I was fortunate enough to find one of those career-defining roles in television. All of us on _SING!_ found these incredible characters that we got to play for five wonderful seasons. Most actors consider themselves lucky if their pilot even gets picked up. We had steady jobs for essentially six years. We had the dream job of playing characters that people all over the country fell in love with and became so passionate about. But as I'm sure the cast of _Friends_ or _Saved By the Bell_ or hell, even Miley Cyrus will always be Hannah Montana to some people- as I was saying, I'm sure all of these other people will tell you that it is a true blessing to be given such an opportunity to be a part of a phenomenon like _SING!_, but it is a double edged sword. Most of us have spent the past few years trying to establish ourselves beyond our characters. We were all so young when it started. I was only twenty-four when we filmed the pilot and I'd only known success on the Broadway stage. None of us were prepared for the backlash and the total and utter lack of privacy that came with being a part of this show. People really wanted us to be our characters and we were green enough to go along with it in the beginning. Now that everyone has realized we're not those characters, I don't want to fall back into that. I'm proud of the person that I've become and the life that we've built through this show and outside of it. I'm ready to share that side with the public…from my perspective and not those of gossip magazines," Rachel explained.

"Well then I think we should get started, don't you?" Rita asked, settling into her seat.

"Certainly," Rachel smiled.

Quinn remained silent and a little tense but nodded her consent as well. She had initially been skeptical about the entire thing. The reunion concert was one thing. It had been for charity and as a thank you to the fans who still supported the show even after it's final episode aired. It also served as a thank you to those who continued to follow their careers long after they walked away from the characters who made them famous. Their fan base was large and passionate. A five year reunion concert had seemed appropriate. Delving back into the whole mix of it with a tell-all special seemed a bit much in Quinn's opinion. She felt that their fans had been there and watched their every move from the beginning. They knew the important things that happened and if they had followed them on twitter or read blogs or seen any of the interviews years ago, they had some idea of how everyone involved with the show felt about it and the experiences it brought. Digging deeper into those experiences for the sake of a True Hollywood Behind the Scenes was bordering on a lack of privacy. Some memories should stay private. Reluctantly, Quinn agreed to do the interview when the rest of the cast jumped on board. Rachel, in particular, pushed for Quinn to do the interview with her. She argued that if anyone had a different side of the story to tell it was Quinn and that her side needed to be told. Rachel said they owed it to their fans to let them know how much they truly changed the lives of the cast.

That's how Quinn Fabray ended up sitting next to Rachel Berry in a tiny room with two cameras and Rita Johnston.

"Why do you think _SING!_ has been so successful? The right show in the right market at the right time? Kismet?"

A typical question that had been asked many times over the years. In truth, Quinn still didn't have an answer for that. Maybe it had been luck. Or maybe it had been fate. Why it happened didn't matter to her nearly as much as the fact that it happened at all.

"I think what made the show so special in the beginning was that it was a first. Maybe it wasn't the first of its kind entirely, but it was the first musical television show where it actually made sense for these people to burst into song. I guess the other great thing about it was the writing. The show was aware of its limitations and at times made fun of itself. It's what kept the characters humble and real in such a heightened world- because who really bursts into song walking down the street? As a cast we were very dedicated in making sure that even at our campiest or most outrageous moments with flashy musical numbers or over the top guest stars, we still wanted our characters to be grounded in reality…plus we had fun. I mean, ultimately we had a job to do. We had these carefully constructed roles for a television show and we took our jobs very seriously. At the end of the day though, we genuinely enjoyed every moment. That's what made it so special," Rachel explained.

"Every single moment?" Rita raised her eyebrow, knowing there had been different tensions on set at various points.

Rachel laughed and shrugged. Quinn smirked right at the camera but still kept her mouth shut. Rachel plotted her response knowing she'd get no help from Quinn.

"What I mean to say is that everyone on the show became a family of sorts. Sometimes there are tense days with family but you know that things will always work out in the end. How we related to each other off-screen was linked to our on screen relationships in some ways. That's not to say we all weren't professionals who could do the job even on a bad day, but I think to have the chemistry needed on our show, we needed to actually be friends on and off the camera. So in some ways our off-screen relationships are still intrinsically linked to the show and vice versa. The show is still very personal for us," Rachel clarified.

"Because it was so personal, did you ever feel that you needed to present a different public persona then who you are now?" Rita questioned carefully.

Rachel laughed again almost in disbelief at how quickly Rita jumped into the hard-hitting questions. Apparently starting off with a usual question was just to get them comfortable, as if Quinn would ever be comfortable talking about her personal life in front of a camera. The first question had been a warm-up. Judging by Rita's prodding already, the interview was going to be different. Rita Johnston would put them all through the ringer to get the "true Hollywood story."

"No holding back. I guess this is digging deep behind the scenes that people are hoping to hear about…I think when it started we were all very young and very new to the business. We'd all had minor successes but nothing of quite the same caliber as S_ING!_ so we were eager to please. That's not to say that any of us were hiding anything about who we actually are. I just think it was easier to latch on to the similarities of ourselves and our characters rather than focus on the differences. Our fans didn't want to know what made me different from Emily. They wanted to know Emily so they wanted to know how much of her was real. The same with all our characters and our relationships with each other. I'm sure we influenced the writers as they got to know us and the characters became more well-rounded, more realistic when we got to infuse more of ourselves into them…but it was still acting. I guess the main thing is- I got to work with my best friends. Gossip magazines made up whatever they wanted. According to everyone else, we all dated each other each time our characters broke up and found new love interests. I don't think any of us directly hid our own personalities. I think we all treaded a thin line between having privacy and having a job to do. How we were publicly perceived sometimes had very little to do with anything we were actually doing and everything with what people simply wanted to believe."

"So you haven't dated most of the cast?" Rita joke to lighten things up a bit.

"No. I have only dated one costar," Rachel chuckled.

"But there have been several significant relationships to evolve from the show? Is it safe to say that the show changed not only your career but your personal life as well? Would you say you're still close with a lot of the cast and crew?" Rita pressed a little.

"Yes. Without a doubt. I think most of the friendships and relationships I made while working on the show have changed my life for the better. I met some of my best friends. Quinn and I had a long and complicated history before the show and that has since resulted in a very close and intense friendship which I honestly don't know if it would've occurred otherwise. I hope that we would've found each other somehow but I'll admit, I owe many of the positive relationships in my personal life to the show. We were all very lucky to find something so special and work with people who are so special," Rachel continued.

Quinn nodded and smiled at the brunette.

"You've been a little quite so far. Would you say that the show changed your life as well?" Rita turned her questioning to the blonde.

The reporter adjusted her thin glasses on her crocked nose. She had kind eyes and even though she was well respected in Hollywood, both actresses knew they still needed to remain on guard. It wouldn't bode well for any future careers they may obtain if it came across as if they were the type to bite the hand that had fed them for so many years. Things weren't always perfect. The network hadn't always been easy to deal with. Every job had it's ups and downs but the important thing was to focus on the good things that happened. They were here to celebrate the show. Give a little dirt but overall make everyone involved look good.

"Working on the show changed my life completely. I wouldn't be sitting here right now if I hadn't been cast. The most significant relationships in my life outside of my biological family have been formed from this show or strengthened through the show. I owe Alan Peters my life," Quinn replied casually, though her words were anything but casual.

"Let's take it back a step. Let's go back to the beginning. What was it like that first week filming the pilot of _SING!_? Did you know you had something special with this show? Did you have any idea it could become such a cultural phenomenon?" Rita smiled, backing off a little.

"The first week? Oh God, that was insanity," Rachel laughed.

"I was terrified," Quinn grinned.

"You were? I was seeing Quinn Fabray for the first time in nearly five years!" Rachel squeaked.

They both exchanged glances before bursting into giggles.

"So what was it like?" Rita's eyes lit up at the exchange.

Watching the two women interact, there was no doubt in her mind that they were in love.


	2. Chapter 2

_Paramount Studios- California_

_Ten years ago_

Pulling into the lot was the most heart-pounding experience of her life thus far…well next to waiting for her name to be announced at the Tony's the previous year. Streets lined with palm trees had definitely been a change from the streets lined with Starbucks on every corner and street meat vendors of a multitude of cultures. Hollywood was, with a doubt, vastly different from New York.

New York had been home. Okay, that was a lie. At first, New York had been terrifying and taxing. NYADA wasn't McKinley and Rachel Berry hadn't been the brightest star. She'd been swallowed up in all of the anonymity of New York City. The brightest star in Lima Ohio struggled to even flicker underneath the blinding lights of Times Square and every Broadway Marquette. She'd been scared and lonely. The first two months in New York were horrible.

Then Kurt Hummel came busting in like he owned the damn place. He got some high-end fashion internship and was determined to let nothing hold him back after that NYADA letdown. He had been just the breath of fresh air Rachel had needed to get back out there and show the world why she was born to be on that stage. She quickly left her drab dorm room with her terrifyingly bitchy roommate who had been sleeping with virtually anything with two legs. Seriously, Margery had been horrendous. She thought Quinn Fabray had been frightening, Santana Lopez had been rude, and Noah Puckerman had been a whore. Margery Thembin put her high school existence into an entirely new perspective.

So with a less than sweet goodbye:

"You're moving?" Margery asked.

"Yes. I'm relocating to an apartment in Bushwick with my friend Kurt."

"Whoa, Rachelle. _You_ have a boyfriend?"

"For the millionth time, my name is Rachel. And no. He's my best friend. He's gay."

"Hold up, are you pregnant or something?" Margery inquired with a cocked eyebrow that must have been taught to all bitchy girls in some secret school.

"No! Why on earth would you assume that?" Rachel shrieked.

"Because you cry all the time and everybody in dance has noticed you've put on weight."

Rachel sputtered and fumed for a response while Margery had merely flipped her hair and returned to her Shakespeare anthology.

"I guess this is goodbye. Good luck with your gay…and slimming back down," Margery had commented disinterestedly.

"You are not a very nice person," Rachel glared.

"Tell that to somebody who cares," Margery laughed.

Rachel sent one more glare to the other girl and then stomped all the way to the cab in front of the dormitory that took her to her new home.

It had been a turning point. Living with Kurt had been a dream. She flew to the top of her classes…well every class except dance. Her dance professor had been out to get her. In fact, Rachel was eighty-nine percent certain that it had been her professor who had started the rumor that Rachel had put on weight to begin with. Once again, New York put Rachel's high school existence and Mr. Shue's treatment of her into perspective.

Needless to say, college flew by. Kurt re-applied to NYADA, got accepted, dropped out, and then became a stylist for the rich and even richer in New York. Turns out, her fashionable roommate realized fashion was his true passion and not musical theatre. Rachel had her passion reaffirmed and knew without a doubt she was meant for the Broadway stage.

Rachel had starred in production after production until her one of her shows her senior year- _Gracie-_ had been picked up to be produced off-Broadway. From there it had been a whirlwind in which her career took off. _Gracie_ went to off-Broadway near the end of her fall semester of senior year. She finished her classes throughout the day while performing each night at MCC's theater on Christopher street. Then the show went from off-Broadway to Broadway that following February, landing her at the St. James Theater. Her performance on Broadway ended up counting as her capstone project for her final semester. On top of that, her recognition in the show had led to the audition of a lifetime for her first leading role in a revival of _Funny Girl_. She auditioned for _Funny Girl_ during the first week of re-blocking _Gracie_ to accommodate the move to the St. James. She thought she had blown the audition only to find out she got the part. She left _Gracie_ after only ten performances on Broadway, just long enough to use it for her capstone credit. Then she immediately began rehearsals for _Funny Girl_ just in time for its April opening. Whirlwind hadn't even truly covered just how hectic her senior year had been.

Thankfully, her final semester at NYADA largely consisted of performance credits. After her earlier successes, she had done as many non-performance classes as possible during summer sessions as recommended by Carmen Tibideaux, who had become her sworn mentor after freshman year. Carmen had predicted that Rachel Berry would join NYADA's elite few to be awarded a job on Broadway before graduation. She hadn't predicted that Rachel would've had two roles on Broadway during her final semester. The school had worked with the performance schedule, though she was no longer able graduate with honors due to some testing requirements that she ultimately had to miss for the productions. Her roles counted as performance credits and she still graduated in May while headlining as Fanny Brice.

In even her wildest dreams, Rachel had never imagined finding her success so quickly. Fanny Brice scored her the Tony that June, exactly three weeks after her graduation from NYADA, making her the school's fastest rising star. The Tony opened up a million new doors; more stage roles, an album, a film remake of _Funny Girl_ (that quickly got scrapped when funding went under and Barbra Streisand put her foot down), and, of course, television offers.

Her first silver screen role had been as a patient on _Grey's Anatomy_. She'd garnered little attention for the part but the director of that episode happened to know a guy who was shopping around a new show to several different networks. He thought she'd be perfect for this other show. After two dinners and a quick coffee date, Rachel Berry had found out that _SING!_, a show about a high school glee club eerily familiar to her own experiences, had been picked up by one of the networks and a pilot was being produced. The creator, Mr. Alan Peters, loved Rachel and wanted her to audition for the lead. Turns out, he wrote the role with her in mind. Again, the stars aligned and Rachel Berry had her first television role as a leading lady.

Quinn Fabray had a slightly different story. It was a little less Cinderella and much more trial and error.

Quinn had gone Ivy League just as everyone from Lima knew she would. Yale had been…an experience. It wasn't that she hadn't loved Yale. Its beautiful campus, gorgeous fall, and entire ambiance had been exactly what she needed to escape the many versions of herself that had graced Lima, Ohio. The problem with high school was that Quinn had never really gotten the chance to be herself. Each year she'd gone through another phase, a reincarnation of sorts in terms of character. She'd been the overachieving freshman, the bitchy sophomore Head Cheerleader, the pregnant teenager, the wannabe bitchy junior Head Cheerleader, the humiliated and heartbroken Prom Queen loser, and the Skank; then finally had a brief moment of 'just Quinn' who was happy to be in Glee Club, cheered because she loved it instead of its social powers, and was respected for the getting into Yale. She finally got to be herself. It lasted all of a few hours before she became Quinn the senior class cripple. McKinley High had seen so many different Quinn's it was hard for others to decide which one was the real Quinn. Only a few members of Glee Club seemed to know who Quinn really was and the only one who really pushed for that girl was Rachel Berry. That in turn, added in its own suffocating guilt. When she was with the people who let her be herself, she was always reminded of the terrible versions she'd been at other times and the various ways in which she had tortured them at some point. There was no escaping. No time to simply be content in who she was.

Yale had been a vast change from that. She went into the campus unnoticed. She formed a small circle of friends. She studied English Lit. After realizing that by dating her married professor she was letting yet another man define her existence, she switched majors to Creative Writing half way through her freshman year. She decided she needed to do things for herself and not what was expected of her. She didn't want to be the Stepford wife of a college professor in New Haven. It wasn't until her junior year that she even thought of Drama and Acting. One of her fictional stories, loosely based on her own high school experience- but nobody else needed to know that- ended up being heavily driven by dialogue instead of Quinn's usual description-heavy paragraphs and gut-twisting plot turns. The high school characters were so close to her heart that she found herself focusing more on proving their character through their words and actions rather than lengthy tirades about how one's eyes shined like diamonds but had a nose like a demented bird's beak- all of that usual bullshit she had often spun.

The story had potential according to her professor but seemed to be leaning more towards a play format. One meeting with the playwriting professor led to another with one of his best students which led to another meeting then a coffee date. Suddenly, somehow, Quinn Fabray was practically dating this girl and hadn't even realized it until Jessica Gadd had walked her home and kissed her in front of her dormitory.

It had been an entire self-revelation. Quinn liked Jessica…as in like, like. She was kind of into girls. It hadn't been completely shocking but it had rocked her world all the same. Writing the play together led to a relationship that Quinn hadn't foreseen. Somehow, she ended up acting in the play as well when it was chosen to be one of the spring productions. One of Jessica's friends, Rob, from film school in California had come in to see the show one weekend. Rob loved it and wanted to turn it into a film. With the right spin, Rob thought it could be a satirical commentary of high school and the overzealous nature of teenagers to place all their eggs in one basket and hope for popularity. After much coercing, Jessica convinced Quinn to spend the summer in LA with her and Rob. They shot the independent film over the course of two months in LA before senior year kicked off.

Filming hadn't been what she had expected but Quinn discovered several things. One, she was actually quite good at on-camera acting. Two, Jessica was a two-timing whore. Jessica was bisexual and had decided that her heart actually belonged to Rob. Quinn went back to school in August and promptly forgot everything about filmmaking and her stupid ex-girlfriend. She threw herself into her classes and avoided her old circle of friends that had known about her and Jessica. Yale had suddenly become a place she desperately wanted to escape during that final year.

In March of her senior year, escape came knocking on her door in the guise of opportunity. The film had been picked up for distribution by a larger company associated with MTV and they needed Quinn to come back to LA for two weeks for a couple of reshoots before handing it over to the network. Spring Break coincided with one week of shooting and she decided to skip the other week of classes. It was an opportunity to get away from Jessica who had broken up with Rob over winter break and had been trying to get back into Quinn's good graces again.

Quinn had had enough of the love triangles and on again off again couples between Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson in high school. She wasn't about to ruin the end of her senior year mixing between Rob and Jessica once more. So it had been a relief to see that Rob's friend, Mark, who had been part of the original shoot was leading the project and the reshoots instead. The studio offered to fly Quinn to LA and she took the chance. She crashed with Mark, reshot a couple of scenes for the network, flew back to Yale in April, and then graduated at the end of May.

Upon graduation, Quinn moved out to LA to become Mark's roommate. The two had become best friends while doing the reshoot. The network never aired the film. They bought the rights and then squashed the project. She heard through Mark that Rob had been devastated. Quinn had been ecstatic. Served Rob and Jessica right for two-timing Quinn Fabray.

However, the network loved Quinn and Mark. They wanted Mark to direct a new series called _Champs_. The pilot had a lot of elements of Quinn's original screenplay but had room for growth as a whole series instead of a one shot…also they were vampires in high school. Quinn hadn't been thrilled about that aspect. The catch, though, had been that the head executives at the network wanted Mark but only if Quinn would star in the series. She'd been skeptical at first. Acting had never been her idea. She fell into acting mainly because of Jessica. The only reason she felt she'd been any good in the film was because she had written the part for herself. Plus, vampires. She really didn't want to be a vampire on the new show. Ultimately though, Mark was her best friend and she felt she owed it to him to at least give it a chance.

Mark convinced her to join the project and then a star was born in the MTV teen drama circuit. Quinn basically played another version of her high school self. She was the popular but secretly emo kind of girl. She was trapped in the restraints of popularity but desperately wanted to be a painter even though it was social suicide. Oh, and she fell in love with a vampire who was considered to be one of the school's outcasts. The show was largely viewed as a pile of shit by critics everywhere. Actually, it was largely viewed as a pile of shit by its own cast and creators as well.

BUT, Quinn Fabray was considered to be the shining point. She had charisma. She could act. Or at least that's what all the critics claimed. In truth, Quinn figured it was all the years of pretending to be somebody else in high school that lent to her craft.

The show was cancelled after two seasons. The first aired as the mid-season replacement in MTV's usual primetime lineup in the winter and the second had been a summer season. It hadn't been much but it had gotten Quinn some recognition and her face in a couple of teen magazines for a few months.

After _Champs _had been cancelled, Quinn's agent got the call about _SING!_ and knew her client was perfect for the part. Quinn, however, had been incredibly reluctant to audition. She didn't want to continuously be typecast as the popular cheerleader. However, when her actual resume boasted several national cheerleader titles under one Sue Sylvester- who kept appearing despite the fact that Quinn never made it known she had been a Cheerio- it was increasingly difficult to shake that image…especially as a blonde in Hollywood. Once again, Mark talked her into at least auditioning for the role.

She knew the moment she left the office that she had nailed the audition. The character, Samantha "Sam" Ripley, was the Quinn Fabray she wished she could've been in high school. She was popular and considered to be the prettiest girl in school. She was a cheerleader on a national championship squad. She was intelligent. She was nice. Her big character flaw was that she struggled with anorexia.

Anorexia wasn't something that Quinn personally struggled with in high school but she had dealt with her own body issues and witnessed enough of the other Cheerios with eating disorders to have a good basis for playing the role. The most important thing about the role though was that Sam Ripley wielded her powers for good. She was the popular girl who joined the Glee Club because she loved to sing. There was some initial tension between the geeks, or gleeks as they were referred to on the show, and her character. Quickly though, she got accepted into the group and became their champion against the other popular kids who enjoyed Flushies, or what most people called Swirlies.

Quinn loved the script, loved the character, and really wanted to be a part of it…until she saw who had been hired as the top-billed star.

On that first day when Quinn drove on to the Paramount lot, she knew exactly what she was getting into and exactly who she'd be working with. The show was too good to pass up. The chance to work with Rachel Berry again was also too good to pass up. She was a different person. She was at peace with herself. Her character was supposed to become best friends with Rachel's Emily Clayton. It was as if the Lord himself had given Quinn a chance for a redo of her high school experience. She could finally play the Quinn Fabray she always wanted to be…just as Sam Ripley.

"I heard you were involved in this. I confess I even watched your screen test just to be sure it was really you," Rachel called out anxiously as Quinn shut her car door.

They had parked two spots away from each other next to Studio 32.

"Chase Cardell told me you're brilliant to work with…I may have let it slip that I already knew that from past experience," Quinn replied, after taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.

They'd had five years of no direct contact. Quinn had lost touch with most of the Glee club during her stint at Yale. _Champs _had been an opportunity for a lot of people to make their way out of the woodwork and offer their support. She'd reconnected with a few people here and there. Rachel Berry had never offered her support. Quinn hadn't really reached out when Rachel won a Tony either though.

"Yes, well I figure we shouldn't let our past make things awkward. You and I were friends once. We can surely be friends again. I, uh, I told the others that we have a history as well. Not our full history but…same high school. Same glee club. I'm sure it's bound to bring about some press. Alan seemed very excited about it. I see no reason why we need to hash out all the details of our past though. We were friends senior year. We were never really that close but we were at least casual friends, acquaintances. I'm more than positive that we will both be professionals about all of this," Rachel smiled stiffly.

"Casual friends? Wow, uh, okay. I mean I wasn't going to proclaim to the world that we used to fight over Finn Hudson but…okay."

"I didn't mean that as callously as it came out. I just meant that we were somewhat friends. We drifted apart. It happens," Rachel amended.

"Well you never used those metro passes," Quinn chuckled, pretending not to be offended.

"As I recall, neither did you."

"I did actually. Santana and I came to that show. The first off-Broadway thing."

"Right. You didn't stay to chat. I guess I forgot," Rachel blushed.

The two continued to walk across the lot toward their studio. It was the first table read and official meeting of the entire cast. Rachel had met everyone previously and had read with most of them in their earlier auditions. She had been the first person cast. Quinn came into the project much later and had only met Chase Cardell who was to play Rachel's love interest and Quinn's neighbor.

"I had to rush afterwards. After your show. My…my friend…she had to have an emergency appendectomy. I wanted to be there. I was sure Santana told you. Santana was supposed to tell you."

"The girlfriend?" Rachel questioned.

Quinn flushed and nodded.

"What about now? Any girlfriends?" Rachel asked with a grin at Quinn's obvious embarrassment.

It was adorable how shy the blonde was acting. Quinn Fabray was rarely shy in high school. If she had been embarrassed, she had just snapped. She was never shy. Rachel was soaking up every second of Quinn's bashfulness.

"No. Not for some time now. I've been…focused. Career can get in the way, I guess," Quinn answered after a moment's hesitation.

There she was- talking about girlfriends with Rachel Berry of all people. It was so surreal. Not at all how Quinn imagined her first day on set.

"What about you? Still taking rounds with Finn Hudson?" Quinn raised an eyebrow just like in her high school days.

Rachel flushed and shook her head.

"Oh God no. Finn is…he's married now, actually. He met her during basic training in his second attempt at the army. They're married in Louisiana, I believe. I think they've moved around from base to base quite a bit. It's hard to keep up. Kurt knows but I stopped asking long ago."

"I see."

An awkward silence settled over them as they reached the doors for the offices adjacent to Studio 32.

"You ah, still keep in contact with any of the glee club?" Rachel asked.

"Some. Not as often as I used to. Distance hasn't been easy. I've kept tabs on some people but it's hard. Santana, Brittany, and Mercedes are probably the easiest to stay in contact with- even then it's…hard to always stay in touch."

"The same could be our story. Distance. Growing up and growing apart. I think that's really all anybody needs to say about everyone from our town."

"Rachel, if you're worried about people picking sides in some high school feud…it won't be like that. I was- I was _glad_ when I found out you were part of this show because honestly I've wanted to apologize for years-," Quinn started.

"Nonsense. No need for apologizes. You and I put our past behind us years ago. We were friends senior year. We were never best friends. I'm sure we're both professionals though. The media can dig up whatever stories they'd like, assuming this show actually gets picked up, but we'll stick to the facts. Regardless of whatever high school drama- that I'm sure everyone goes through- you and I were friends and we went to different colleges, drifted apart, and are now happy to be working together. It's nice to catch up," Rachel informed as if she'd rehearsed that little speech.

"Sure," Quinn replied slowly.

"The others are great, by the way. You'll love them. I hope you're not too nervous or anything. This is going to be fun. They're really nice and really professional."

"Yeah I…I've been slightly anxious. I feel like everybody else has already had the chance to get to know each other and I'm coming into this totally blind," Quinn confessed sheepishly.

"Well you know me. We go way back. So as far as everyone is concerned, I've got your back. You'll be fine. They'll love you. I'm sure of it."

Rachel smiled at her sincerely for the first time. Quinn took a deep breath and nodded. Years and years but Rachel Berry was still the same. Polite and kind. She had Quinn's back in high school even when the blonde didn't want her around. Years later and Rachel still made an offering. Some things never change. Quinn smiled back and was amazed by how much it relaxed her to know that she did know Rachel. She could walk into that room and actually know someone there.

"So have you talked to Santana recently about the big move?" Rachel asked, changing the subject.

"The big move?"

"She's been offered her own agency and a TV show ala House Hunters. One of our crewmembers told me. His wife is an executive producer for Santana's show," Rachel laughed.

"Seriously? I knew she was doing well with real estate in New York but her own show…wow," Quinn laughed.

"She and Brittany are relocating to the west coast. They'll be moving to Beverly Hills in August. I emailed Brittany earlier this week and she confirmed."

"Wow that's…wow. I guess I really can't escape high school. I'm still playing a high school character and will be hanging out with the same people from real high school."

"I think it will be nice," Rachel shrugged.

"Have you talked to Mercedes? She's out here," Quinn pointed out.

Rachel shook her head, "No more than the perfunctory phone call that politeness dictated when I initially moved here. What about you?"

"We've had a on-going dinner thing, once a month….you should come next time."

"Thank you…that would…be great. It would be wonderful to see her. Who knows, maybe eventually when the others get out here, it'll be a whole monthly McKinley reunion."

"I think that sounds nice," Quinn smiled.

They walked into the writer's room for the table read. The rest of the cast was already seated with two chairs open, side by side. One for Quinn and one for Rachel- side by side. There really was no escaping each other in this project. In a way, Quinn felt more at ease with that knowledge.

"Alright, alright. Our final two are here. So let's get this started. I believe most of you are familiar with each other but let's get these introductions out of the way so we can get down to business. As you know, I'm Alan. This is my little labor of love, my child of sorts. Let's all take great care of her. I think we have something truly special here. So whoever wants to go next and then we'll read and see just what it is that we've all found here," Alan grinned, clapping his hands.

Everyone else in the room looked at each other and exchanged smiles. Nobody spoke up. Then one of the other cast members started giggling at the silence which then turned into a chorus of laughter.

"Alright, come on people. Who's next?" Alan laughed.

"I'll go," a handsome young man with a devilish grin spoke up. He was tan and muscular. He had green eyes and short-nearly buzzed off black hair. Typical jock with a bad boy streak.

"I'm Matthew Gilbert. I'm playing Harrison Crawford also known as Fordy," Matt smiled.

"Which is ironic that Forty is played by the oldest guy here," another cast member laughed.

"Oh shut up, man," Matt chuckled, flipping off the other guy. "Why don't you tell us who you are funny guy?"

"I'm Scott Johns. I play Peter Henderson, tech geek extraordinaire and guitar genius," Scott wiggled his eyebrows.

He was wearing suspenders and a bowtie that almost reminded Quinn of Artie. He didn't have glasses like Artie and definitely wasn't in a wheelchair but something in his humor was reminiscent of her high school friend. She would have to call him after all of this was over and check in.

"Artie right?" Rachel asked leaning closer to Quinn's ear to whisper.

The blonde nodded and grinned back at Rachel in amazement.

"I thought the same thing the first time I met him," Rachel giggled softly.

"Okay, I see how it is. You wanna whisper your secrets, high school buds? Why don't you go next? Come on, Berry. Introduce us to your Titan Twin," Scott teased.

"Titan Twin?" Quinn asked.

"William McKinley High Titans, right? I do my research," Scott nodded proudly.

"Oh dear God," Quinn groaned.

"Really, Quinn. You were a Cheerio. You spelled out Titans every Friday night for years," Rachel smirked.

Quinn glared at her playfully. Rachel Berry teasing Quinn Fabray. Easy banter. Things weren't turning out to be nearly as bad as Quinn had feared initially. Who knows maybe she and Rachel could actually be real friends this time around.

"A real cheerleader playing a cheerleader? What are the odds?" Matt winked at her, causing the blonde to flush.

"Introductions. Bonding is nice. Do it on your own time. We need to get through this read-thru so you all can get to dance camp," Alan cut in, chuckling a little.

"I'm Rachel Berry. I will be playing Emily Clayton the overachieving star of the glee club," Rachel grinned.

Quinn shook her head at the other girl's antics. Still the same old Rachel Berry. Proud to be a star. Rachel nodded to her and elbowed her side gently.

"Oh right. I'm Quinn Fabray. I'm Samantha Ripley. I was a cheerleader and I'm still playing a cheerleader," Quinn rolled her eyes with a blush.

"You're the newbie," another guy who looked younger than the rest smiled in her direction. "I'm David Parks. I'm playing Jason Linkler. I am Lucas Barker's half brother and the most fashionable member of our glee club."

Next a beautiful Hispanic girl spoke up, "I'm Courtney Tosado. I'll be playing Alessandra Alberts, your worst nightmare. I'm Sam's number two on the cheerleading squad and your number one tormentor."

"I'm Brooke Thomas. I play Jennie Spencer. I'm also a cheerleader and great comic relief."

"And my BFF," Courtney added in with a mock insulted pout.

"And of course, Alessandra's BFF."

"Not character BFF's. Mine. We're besties," Courtney laughed.

"Besties," Brooke giggled in response as they did some strange high five, secret handshake they had clearly made up already.

"And I'm Chase Cardell. I'm Lucas Barker. And I am the man," Chase joked.

They all laughed and continued to joke around as the four main writers introduced themselves. Then it came time to read the actual script. Quinn had previously only seen the sides from two of her scenes. Rachel and Chase were the only ones to read the entire pilot script. During the read-thru, it became obvious that the show was special. They all had great chemistry and the writing was witty and sharp. It had heart but also was aware of the traps of teen comedies and shows geared toward the 13-19 demographic. Somehow, it pointed out those flaws and then laughed at itself. It was a great script. They all nailed it as if each part had been specifically crafted toward each actor.

By the end of the first day, Quinn had gotten to know the rest of the cast fairly well. They were all very nice and mostly open books. Everybody was honest about their previous work and willing to help each other with this show. Within hours of meeting, they were forming a tight little family.

Dance camp had been a disaster the first day. Courtney, Brooke, Scott, and Quinn were obviously skilled dancers. Rachel, Matthew, and David were dancers but had musical theater dance training and less hip hop and contemporary that their choreographer seemed so keen to use. Chase had little to no dance training. He really struggled at the start of the day but seemed to catch on quickly. Matthew and Scott helped him out a lot. By the end of the day, they had their first routine down. However, at the end of the day, the choreographer scrapped all of that because it was a basic routine and it would never work with the camera angles. He was just testing them.

They all walked out to their cars after a fourteen-hour day, exhausted but excited.

"I didn't know what to expect but I was not expecting that," Scott chuckled, leaning against his car, looking worse for wear.

"It's the first day. It can only get easier as we get used to this schedule," Brooke smiled before yawning.

"I was going to see if anybody wanted to go for dinner. Celebrate our first day, but I think I'm just exhausted," Matthew nodded, slouching next to Scott against the other guy's car.

Everyone else agreed.

"Well David, Courtney, Rachel, and I all live in the same complex. Do you guys just wanna come back to our area? We could make dinner at somebody's apartment. Just hang?" Scott offered.

"I'm in," Chase and Matthew chorused happily.

"Quinn?" Rachel asked.

"I um- I would but I live like forty minutes out and with the traffic…"Quinn trailed off.

"You can crash with me," Rachel suggested, sheepishly.

"Come on, Quinn. Slumber party with your bestie," Courtney teased.

"I thought you and Brooke were besties," Quinn laughed.

"Totes. That's why we're having a slumber party, too. I'm crashing at Courtney's. There's no way in hell I'm driving home if I have to be back on this set at 6:30am tomorrow morning," Brooke groaned.

"Come on, Quinnie. You know you wanna hang with us," Matt teased, dancing around her.

"I thought you were tired. Quit dancing. You're gonna be doing it all day tomorrow," Quinn tried her best to look annoyed but failed miserably when she started laughing.

"Come on. Don't be a party pooper. Crash with Rachel. She wants you to," Chase grinned, slinging an arm around Quinn's back.

Quinn snuck a quick glance at Rachel. The brunette didn't seem annoyed. She genuinely seemed excited at the prospect of having Quinn stay over.

"Look, Quinn, they love you already," Rachel giggled.

"I feel so wanted. It's like I've been part of the group all along," Quinn joked with an eye roll.

"You have! We've been missing our bitchy cheerleader. It just so happens that's you on and off set. It's perfect," Scott chuckled, unlocking his car.

"You're lucky I like you, Scott Johns. Real lucky," Quinn threatened the nerdy looking guy.

"I'm leaving my car here. Let's go Court," Brooke grinned, grabbing the Latina's hand and skipping toward the other car.

Matthew, Scott, and David piled into Scott's car. They honked as they pulled out of the spot.

"Get in that car, Fabray!" Matthew shouted out the window as Scott drove past them.

Courtney and Brooke beeped as they drove by as well. Chase, Quinn, and Rachel were left standing in the parking lot. The boys blasted an old Jay-Z song and continued honking their horn all the way out of the lot. Rachel laughed and shook her head.

"So are we doing this? I could use some dinner and the general consensus is everybody is going to Rachel's house. Apparently, she can cook," Chase wiggled his eyebrows.

"Again? You guys have to do the dishes this time," Rachel giggled and slapped his arm.

"You mean take out the trash afterwards? I'm sure Court's already called up Joe's and ordered the usual for all of us. We wouldn't want another Rachel Berry culinary disaster on our hands," Chase laughed.

"Perhaps my culinary skills leave a little something to be desired but I wouldn't call my previous attempts completely disastrous," Rachel rolled her eyes.

"I would," Chase winked at Quinn.

Something stirred inside the blonde watching Rachel flirt with their costar. Maybe she was just tired. Maybe she had spent one too many nights by herself in her apartment. Was she really jealous that Rachel was closer with the rest of the cast than she was? Hadn't she grown out of that behavior since high school?

"Yeah. I'm in. I'm staying with you tonight," Quinn replied suddenly, grabbing Rachel's arm and dragging her towards the car.

Quinn would just have to try harder to become friends with everyone. Maybe there was still a little part of her that craved popularity. Maybe Rachel Berry just brought that side out in her. She needed to show Rachel that she was worthy of being friends with. She needed to prove to everyone that she could fit in with all of them.

"Seriously? A slumber party with _the_ Quinn Fabray? I'm not sure you understand how much my inner high schooler is flipping out right now. The captain of the Cheerios is staying over at my house," Rachel teased, unlocking the car.

"I'll meet you all there. I'm gonna swing by and pick up Cameron," Chase waved, hopping into his car.

"Who's Cameron?" Quinn asked once they were safe inside Rachel's car.

"Hmm?"

Rachel was fiddling with the stereo, skipping through XM stations. Quinn stared at her profile for a moment. She didn't really look old but she did seem more mature. Quinn fought the urge to flip down the visor and check her own appearance in the mirror. Did she look more mature? Did she just look old? Did Rachel think she looked different?

"Cameron?" Quinn questioned again.

"Oh. Cam is Chase's girlfriend. She's super sweet. You'll love her."

Quinn nodded, suddenly feeling as if she could breathe again. She needed to get her head on straight. She needed to stop worrying about who liked Rachel more, stop worrying about if Chase was interested in Rachel. She needed to stop worrying about her own appearance. This wasn't high school. She didn't need to compete with Rachel in any way. Old habits die hard in some ways. She needed to let that go.

"So Chase has a girlfriend. What about everybody else?" Quinn questioned after a few moments of driving in silence listening to some Adult Contemporary station Rachel landed on.

"Well I believe that David is gay. He just graduated from high school like a year ago or something. I have no idea if he's involved or not. It seems odd to pry since we're not that close and he's so much younger," Rachel explained.

"How long have you been hanging with all of them?"

"As soon as Scott found out that four of us live in the same complex it's been kind of a love fest. Scott lives in the building diagonally across the courtyard from mine. If he stands on his balcony and I stand on mine we can wave to each other and perform obscene gestures as so many of them enjoy doing," Rachel laughed at the memory.

"They're a great bunch," Quinn sighed.

"As far as everybody else. I believe that Brooke has a boyfriend. Courtney seems to enjoy Matt's company- as if that won't get complicated. As far as I can tell they're not serious though. Chase has Cameron. Scott is single but I'm pretty sure he's been casually flirting with one of our neighbors. She seems very into the geeky musical guy type. He used to be in a boyband if you can believe that. I think that Ben who plays our teacher is married to another actress. I believe she's Canadian but I haven't met her yet. I, myself, am currently...complicated…and that leaves just you."

"And I'm single."

"Are we ever going to talk about that?" Rachel asked with a grin.

"I-um…talk about what?" Quinn muttered with a flush, knowing that Rachel was hinting at Quinn's sexuality.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come off as offensive or that I'm prying. You're entitled to your privacy. I realize we're not particularly close but we will be working together and I was hoping that the delicate balance of our friendship meant that we could discuss such things as our romantic statuses. If you're not out- I mean I have no reason to tell the others. I didn't even think about that. I guess I just know from our shared past connections. Santana filled me in. I didn't think that maybe you keep that side of your life private," Rachel backtracked immediately.

"No. It's fine. It's…I'm not like stuck in the closet. I'm pretty open about it. It's just a little weird to talk about it…with you," Quinn admitted, still blushing.

"I really don't mean to pry into your personal life in a way that our friendship doesn't truly allow. I'm sure you understand that it is slightly shocking for all of us who knew you way back when. I probably could've eased us into this conversation a little better but- we used to fight over Finn Hudson. I have to admit I was initially quite taken aback," Rachel gasped, overdramatically as usual.

Quinn laughed and shook her head. Despite being slightly uncomfortable with the subject material and her current company, she was totally comfortable listening to a typical Rachel Berry Ramble. She decided to give the girl a break.

"I don't know what to say. I had so many ideas about what I wanted in life and what I thought my life would be. You know better than most how much my life constantly changed. I was up and down and up and…everything I thought I knew inevitably turned out to be wrong. This was just another one of those things."

"But how?" Rachel questioned before she could stop herself.

"I don't know, Berry! I'm gay! Big deal," Quinn snapped.

Snapped. Old habits die hard. They sat in silence as Rachel pulled into her apartment complex. She looked a little embarrassed at her own inability to not pry into Quinn's sexuality. She hadn't wanted to start an argument in the first day.

"I'm sorry I pushed," Rachel sighed.

Quinn, for her part, looked completely remorseful instantly. For whatever reason, she couldn't drop high school. She couldn't let go of her behavior in the past. She fought the urge to check the mirror again just to see if she had her hair pulled back in a ponytail and was wearing a Cheerios uniform. She shook her head of the mental image. She needed to let it go. She needed to stop being irrational. If she was hoping for a second chance to make amends with Rachel, snapping into her high school self wasn't going to help.

"I didn't- I didn't mean to yell at you. It's just…I don't know how it happened. I never really thought about it but then I met Jess and one thing became another and now I know. I don't know how I didn't see it before. The celibacy club? Dating dumb jock after dumb jock who I really didn't care about but used for popularity? The whole drunken thing with Puck just screams…I didn't know. Then one day I knew. Same as the rest of my life. I didn't know what I wanted until one day I did. Yale. Acting. All of it," Quinn explained as they sat in Rachel's car.

"I understand. I'm sorry I pressed you. I was shocked initially and…this is the first I've seen you. I guess my questioning wasn't exactly sensitive considering I don't even know your story or how open you really are. I guess I haven't grown up nearly as much as I had hoped."

"It's alright. You're like the one person who knew me then and knows me now. There's been a pretty solid divide between the two. You're allowed to have questions. When S and B come out here, it'll be different…they had a lot of questions at first. I just have to remind myself that when combining my worlds, I have a lot of answering I need to do. I've been used to people just accepting it when they find out. It's different with people from my past. You have this totally different version of me stuck in your head. I know part of that girl is still me but most of her has changed."

The two sat in silence until it was interrupted by Matt, Scott, and David dancing across the parking lot with grocery bags. Both girls laughed. Rachel reached across the center consol and grabbed Quinn's hand.

"I am really glad we get to work together. I hope that we can rebuild our friendship stronger than before. I am incredibly happy to share all of this with you. It's amazing how much I've missed you and didn't even realize it until today," Rachel squeezed Quinn's hand before letting go and grabbing her keys from the ignition.

"Me too, Rachel. I hope that we can be better friends. I hope that I can be a better person in your life."

Both girls climbed out of the car. Matt handed his bag to David and skipped over to Rachel, picking her up and slinging her over his shoulder.

"Give me your keys, Berry. We party at your place," Matt shouted, taking off with a screaming Rachel pounding on his back.

"Put me down this instance you Neanderthal! I mean it! Matthew Gilbert, unhand me! You caveman! Put. Woman. Down," Rachel ranted.

That night started the beginning of it all. Weekly dinners, watch parties, birthday parties, and just getting together for the sake of hanging out. The cast bonded quickly and became inseparable. As the show gained popularity and their lives changed, they all bonded together even more because they shared the experiences together. They were a part of something special. Quinn and Rachel became friends and became a part of something special together.


	3. Chapter 3

2.

"You all filmed the pilot and then waited two months until you found out if it was going to get picked up by the network or not. What was that time like? You knew you had something special. You knew you had a great show. But you had two months before your entire lives changed. How did you spend your last two months of normality?" Rita Jones asked.

Rachel blew a breath out through her lips and chuckled.

"Wow. I never thought about it that way. I think those two months were great. We had this excellent group of people that we loved spending time with. We all kind of became family. At the same time though, we could go to dinner in public without paparazzi hounding our every move. It was stressful in a different way. We were waiting on pins and needles. All of us wanted this show so badly. We knew how great it could be. We didn't know how people would respond. We didn't have any clue it would become what it did, but we knew we were devoted to it and we really wanted to see this through," Quinn answered.

"During those two months, most of the cast moved into the same complex. It was like Camp _SING!_ in those apartments. How was that?"

"Oh God. It was insane. It was the most fun I've ever had. We had barbeques in the courtyard where we would sing together. Matt or Scott would play guitar and we would all sing. I'm sure every person in our complex hated the rest of us. It was blast," Rachel smiled, remembering.

"What about you, Quinn? You moved in with Rachel during that time right?"

Both women smiled at each other and nodded. Quinn thought back on what her life had been like before she became best friends with the brunette sitting next to her. It had all happened so fast. Everything changed so quickly. One minute she was living in a rundown neighborhood. The next minute she was living with her former high school nemesis and starring on a television show.

"I did. I had been living with a good friend of mine for years. Mark was like a brother to me, really. He had another show he was working on at a different network and things were really taking off for him. We were sort of moving in different circles."

"You'd worked on _Champs _together, right?" Rita questioned.

"Right. He was my first friend in LA. It was wonderful and I really adored the time we spent together but we'd been living in this horrible, horrible neighborhood. Originally, we moved there because it was the only place we could afford. Then we started working on _Champs _together and it happened to be convenient in terms of location. We both wanted to move but neither one of us wanted to be the one to leave. After _Champs_, I kept scoring auditions in Culver City so it didn't make sense for me to move further north. Mark got a different job so it didn't work for him to move further south. We were kind of stuck in the middle. It really was a terrible neighborhood though," Quinn chucked.

She remembered the day she came home to find police cars blocking off her street. One of the officers asked her if she was lost. She explained that she lived in the neighborhood. The officer had told her immediately that she should consider moving. She was a young, blonde, white girl from Ohio. She couldn't have been more out of place in that neighborhood if she tried. Between the cockroaches and the occasional sound of a gunshot, Quinn knew it wasn't a place she could ever invite her mother. She'd carried pepper spray on her key chain after witnessing a high school kid rob an elderly lady in attempt to get accepted into the local gang. It hadn't been a gunpoint robbery. The kid ran up to the older woman, knocked her cane from her hand, grabbed her purse, and ran. Quinn's moment of shock was when none of the people standing nearby did anything to stop him. Rita's next question pulled her from her memories.

"So what prompted the final move?"

"When we filmed the pilot of _SING!_ it just didn't make sense anymore to live so far away. I really hoped that the show would get picked up. I had other friends who lived closer to our studio. Mark got engaged so it just seemed like the planets aligned. He and his fiancé moved closer to his studio. His next job kicked in around the same time that Rachel's roommate moved out to go to the West End for a show so…"

"I asked her to move in," Rachel finished, happily.

"So how many of the Gleeks lived in the same apartment complex during season one?" Rita questioned.

"Oh man, during season one…well Quinn and I lived together. We were usually the hosts for everything. Quinn is what we call a neat freak. Our apartment was spotless. I have a certain disorder that we shall name "Perfect Hostess Syndrome" so combining my need to host and Quinn's obsession with order and cleanliness, we became the go to location for all get-togethers," Rachel explained with a slight blush.

"Do you both still have those traits?"

"Certainly," Rachel replied immediately.

"We've both learned to relax a little in our set mannerisms. I'm not quite the neat freak I once was and Rachel has learned to calm herself when hosting. But of our friends, even to this day, we usually are the hosts," Quinn grinned with a shrug.

"But to answer your initial question, Quinn and I lived in one apartment. David and his mother lived in an apartment. Courtney and Scott both lived in other apartments in the complex. Also during that first season, Matthew moved into one of the apartments with a friend of his. Brooke and one of her best friends lived literally three blocks away. So we were all relatively close," Rachel answered.

"So basically everyone except Chase and the adult characters were neighbors," Rita laughed.

"It really was Camp _SING!_"

"It was. After we found out that we were picked up for twelve episodes, we all just kept gravitating towards the same place. It was a little disgusting how much time we all spent together," Rachel snorted.

Quinn added on, "We worked twelve to fourteen-hour days Monday through Friday for months at time without having any real breaks. After work, we carpooled home and had dinner and movie nights together. Chase had a man cave at the time with some of his friends from high school. They'd been living together for years and they used to have some really crazy parties. Not crazy as in wild but just fun and loud. I believe there were a few noise complaints. Still, he made it to almost all of our nights. We were all very close. We were living in this bubble for the first six months maybe. We worked together. We played together. We had no idea what was going on outside our _SING! _world."

"I think the first few months between actually getting picked up and when the show first aired- that was the time when we all really bonded. Spending so much time together made us into this strange family and I still consider all of them life-long friends," Rachel nodded.


	4. Chapter 4

_Camp SING!_

_Ten Years ago_

"You should really consider moving closer to the area," Rachel laughed, watching the blonde.

Quinn yawned and stretched out on Rachel's couch. Another long day at the studio had left them both exhausted. The show had been picked up quickly and they'd been working nonstop. Rachel had figured a musical show would be a hard sell but apparently it had only taken a little shopping to two different networks before one snatched it up. It certainly hadn't hurt having the Alan Peters name attached to the project. It also hadn't hurt that Alan was close friends with one of the head executives with Twentieth Century Fox. Still, everyone involved with the show knew that it hadn't been connections that sealed the deal. The show was special. Connections got the right people to see it but the show spoke for itself.

It was exhilarating to have a steady job. They were picked up for thirteen episodes. Just enough time to see if they would gather up the kind of audience that the network hoped for. Then if they were successful, they'd get another nine episodes for a full season order. The entire cast was thrilled and determined to put everything they had to ensure they got the back nine.

Each time Rachel received a new script, she was excited to get back to work. She hadn't had such a renewed love for acting since she finally got to play Fanny Brice- her dream role. She was so happy to have found the opportunity to work and truly love her job…and her costars.

Quinn was excited to be attached to a project she actually believed in. All of her prior work had been somewhat of a fluke. Her first play and eventually first film had been personal but the main reason she had been involved had been Jessica. Her first series had been more about helping out Mark than actually wanting to be on a teen drama about vampires. She hated _Twilight_ in high school and had never wanted that for her career. _SING!_ was something she actually believed in and she knew it was good…plus she loved all of her costars.

That day had been a perfect example of what both loved about _SING!_. Half of the cast arrived early for a morning shoot. Then when the rest of the cast arrived in the afternoon, they had a full dance rehearsal. It was exhausting but fun. The guys were ridiculous. They had been jumping around on practice trampolines all day. Courtney spent their breaks attempting to get Rachel and Quinn involved in Twitter. Chase and Scott had gotten into a water bottle fight that ended up encompassing the entire group. Soon their choreographer even got involved in the water fight. Somehow one of the assistant choreographer found squirt guns in the props department and their lunch break had become an all out war. The majority of the cast and crew ended up taking over the entire corner of the lot, hiding behind cars, jumping out from picnic tables, forming alliances, and breaking alliances. Few remained unscathed and dry.

After the squirt gun war, Rachel, Quinn, Chase, Matthew, and Courtney had gone back into hair and makeup for another scene while some of the other cast members went to the studio to record background vocals for the next number. In the hair and makeup trailer, Courtney had uploaded a video of their epic water battle to her twitter. She finally got Chase and Matthew to make accounts. She swore they all needed professional Twitter accounts for their future fans to follow. Quinn rolled her eyes but Rachel had been a little intrigued by the concept, especially when Courtney's video of their water battle got over 100,000 hits in less than 24 hours.

Everyone had been busy for fourteen hours. Filming, dancing, singing. It was tiring but wonderful. At the end of the day, hungry and dragging, Scott offered up his home for dinner. In what had become tradition, Quinn threw her overnight bag into Rachel's car and headed for their group dinner.

Quinn was still amazed that after spending most of her day with the same people- she wasn't sick of them. They were clearly all exhausted but still had fun making dinner together. It certainly beat driving all the way back to her apartment where she would heat up leftovers by herself. Mark, her roommate, had been crashing at his fiancé's apartment more and more. It was almost as if Quinn lived alone. The drive itself was exhausting and after such a long rigorous day, Quinn was more than happy to crash at Rachel's again when the brunette offered. In fact, Quinn stayed at Rachel's apartment more than her own during the busier weeks of filming.

"Feet," Rachel commanded, pushing Quinn's feet off the couch so she could sit down on the other end.

Rachel passed a glass of red wine to Quinn who finally sat up with another yawn.

"You look beat," Rachel giggled.

Quinn quirked her eyebrow then laughed when Rachel yawned.

"You've looked livelier too, Berry," Quinn smirked.

"I told you to stay over last night. You could've gotten an extra hour of sleep and we all knew today was going to be crazy. Granted, I didn't foresee a squirt gun battle in my daily plans. Still, you should've listened to me and just stayed last night."

Quinn rolled her eyes and sunk back into the soft couch. She could barely keep her eyes open. Red wine certainly wouldn't keep her awake. She knew Rachel was right. The brunette had offered to let Quinn crash the night before. Quinn had honestly been afraid of over-staying her welcome. She'd been staying with Rachel so much over the past three weeks. While it was great for their budding friendship to talk and get to know each other all over again, Quinn still had lingering fears that Rachel was just being nice but didn't really trust their friendship. Having an extra house guest at least three nights a week probably hadn't been ideal for Rachel who worked just as hard, if not harder, than the entire cast. If Quinn was exhausted, she couldn't imagine how tired Rachel was. Rachel had more solos. Rachel had more scenes. She had more lines to memorize. How the brunette was even functioning sometimes amazed Quinn. Still, Rachel offered up her home time and again.

"I needed to at least eat some of the food in my refrigerator," Quinn joked.

"You bought half of the food in my refrigerator. You're always welcome here. You know that, right? I love having you here…if I'm being totally honest, it's a little lonely when Kate's gone for extended trips or contracts," Rachel confessed.

"Where is she this time?"

"New York right now for rehearsals. Then she's contracted to go to London. I'm happy that she's happy. I'm thrilled she's working. She swears she's always loved the stage more than television. I don't think that was a dig at me but I'm not entirely certain."

Kate McCormick had been at NYADA with Rachel. She was a year ahead of Rachel. They knew of each other but hadn't exactly hung out in the same circle. She had apparently dated Brody for about a week, long before Rachel had dated the guy. That had really been the only thing the two had in common for years. Then Kate became part of the ensemble during _Funny Girl_ and the two had actually become friends. When Rachel left the show and announced her plan to move to Los Angeles "just to give it a shot", Kate had been eager to try something new as well. They had found an apartment together. Kate hadn't had much success in television or film auditions. Rachel, on the other hand, had booked _SING!_. It wasn't necessarily that Kate was jealous but their friendship had been strained by Rachel's long hours.

Kate had been auditioning back in New York more and more during the recent weeks. She'd been constantly out of the apartment. She'd been gone so frequently that Quinn hadn't even met the girl…and Quinn was always around ever since the first day on _SING!_.

"Do you want anymore dessert?" Rachel asked, nodding to the vegan cheesecake on the coffee table.

"I couldn't eat anymore even if I wanted to," Quinn groaned.

They both giggled. Quinn was lighter than she'd been in high school. They actually got on very well. Rachel had always known they would if Quinn would've given her half a chance back then. Now things were different. Quinn was still Quinn but without the weight of the world on her shoulders.

They were actually friends. It was weird maneuvering around their complicated past. As long as they stayed in the present, they really seemed to get along. Quinn was a little reserved to talk about the past. She had attempted to apologize a few times but Rachel had insisted it wasn't needed. The Tony winner knew she should keep her guard up but she had craved Quinn's friendship for so long. She took each bit of honesty and held on to it. Rachel seemed to prefer to pretend that high school hadn't even happened. She was happy to forget if it meant they could have nights like these. She loved having Quinn around. She loved drinking wine together and eating cheesecake. She loved talking about their days. She loved talking about the show. She loved going over lines together. If they could avoid the past, she could easily separate Former Tormentor Quinn Fabray from current friend and costar Quinn Fabray.

Quinn was all too happy to forget her past as well. She knew she needed to apologize, whether Rachel accepted it or not. She also knew she needed to be honest with Rachel about her past. Growing up in her parents household hadn't been easy and she had taken out a lot of her frustration with herself on Rachel. She owed the brunette an explanation. Part of her was afraid that digging up the past again would hurt the friendship they had been carefully constructing. At the same time, she knew they couldn't truly move on unless they talked about their past.

"Did you know I was six when I went on my first diet," Quinn muttered.

Rachel did a double take. Quinn never talked about their past unless it started with an apology. She wasn't exactly an over-sharer about her childhood or anything that happened before McKinley. Talking about the past meant working through issues that Rachel would rather ignore. Being reminded of their rocky past, would remind her how foolish she was for trusting this new Quinn so implicitly to even consider her a best friend.

"You were six?" Rachel asked incredulously.

Quinn nodded, swirling her wine around in her glass. That hadn't exactly been the way she had envisioned starting this conversation but maybe it was for the best. Maybe she was a little more tired than she thought. Maybe the wine had gone to her head too quickly. She smiled to herself knowing whatever the reason, she couldn't stop now. She couldn't seem to stop her mouth from opening and spilling all her secrets. She couldn't stop opening up. She knew she needed to get it all out. Rachel had this calming effect on her. The brunette made Quinn want to spill all her secrets. For the sake of a real friendship, she needed to explain everything.

"I went to Christy Branken's sixth birthday party. We were all playing princesses. I just remember thinking I was so pretty because I had a tiara. Christy's mom brought out the cake and my mother spoke up. 'Lucy Q, you don't need a piece.' I pouted and wanted to know why- so my mother announced, in front of everyone, that I was getting too tubby and I really didn't need any cake...I was six. And maybe she was right. Maybe I was a little chubbier than some of the other kids but I certainly wasn't obese. Most of it was probably baby fat. I wasn't sad or embarrassed. I really didn't think much of it. I was just mad I couldn't have cake," Quinn explained with almost an eerie detachment.

Rachel was silent. She didn't know how to respond. The Quinn she had grown up with would've dangled a fraction of that information as some sort of justification for being rude to Rachel. Then as soon as Rachel felt sorry for her, the old Quinn would have snapped and throw it all in her face. Logically, Rachel knew that Quinn had changed but sometimes she still waited for the other shoe to drop. Talking about the past made Rachel apprehensive and nervous. Why couldn't they just ignore it?

"My mother was just…my mother has struggled with her own issues far more complex than anything a six year old could've grasped. I get it now. At the time, I just kind of thought my mom was a bitch…the other kids started calling me Tubbers. Christy's mom had to step in and tell them to stop teasing me because my mother was too horrified and a little too drunk to say anything."

Rachel stared at Quinn with a wide-eyed horror. She still couldn't believe that the woman that she had come to know so well as Judy Fabray had ever been so unattached from reality as she had been in the past. Rachel had been around for more than a few of Quinn's skype dates with her mother. Judy had always seemed so invested in Quinn's life and so proud of her daughter. Sure, Rachel knew that the Fabrays were far from perfect. A perfect family wouldn't kick out their daughter for making a mistake at sixteen. Still Rachel had thought that Russell had always been the problem. She had assumed that Judy had been meek, mild, and afraid of her strict husband.

"My mom put me on a diet after that. Up until that party, I had no clue that my parents weren't perfect. Once I caught on, it was pretty hard to ignore the truth. That's why Christy Branken was the first person I ever slushied. It wasn't really her fault. I wanted to blame her anyway."

"Quinn, you don't have to explain. I mean if you don't want to talk about it," Rachel squeaked.

Quinn took another long sip of her wine. She eyed Rachel carefully. She knew needed to talk about it. She didn't know if she was getting drunk but she felt like if anybody could somehow understand her it would be Rachel. Rachel had been rejected by her own mother. At six, that's exactly how Lucy had felt. Quinn had been too much of an insecure idiot in high school to take advantage of the fact that Rachel could've been a real friend who understood.

"I don't think I've ever told anyone that. I don't know. I just feel like…you never pity me. You never did. You just listen. I should've realized that in high school," Quinn shrugged before taking a deep breath.

"You never told Santana or Brittany?"

"No. I was way too concerned with making sure everyone believed that I was Quinn and not Lucy. I couldn't talk about Lucy for years."

"I think I would've liked Lucy," Rachel smiled softly.

"I think you would've like Quinn if I hadn't been a bitch," Quinn chuckled with an eye roll.

They were silent for a minute both sipping wine. Quinn smiled and winked before snagging one last bite of cheesecake. Maybe part of growing up and becoming a real adult meant accepting your flaws and showing them to the world. Rachel had been nothing but kind since the first day of filming. She'd been nothing but kind in high school. Quinn knew she could trust her. Plus, her therapist had told her it was okay to talk to friends about her life. She'd been assured that was normal and healthy. It had taken time but eventually she had realized her therapist was right. Now Rachel was a friend. It was time to get some things out into the open.

"I think my parents had a lot of problems before I was aware of them. Dad was better at hiding them. Mom was better at drinking them away. She struggled with anorexia since she was in high school. I think that was always her biggest fear- that if she wasn't thin my father wouldn't find her appealing. He was having affairs even back then. I know about it now but I didn't have a clue at the time. My mom did. I think that's part of the reason she was so hard on me. She was struggling with her own body images and her own diseases, her drinking, my father's affairs…they both started fighting more. After a couple of years, she was usually too drunk to watch my diet so I rebelled...it was my comfort when things at home went south. Tubbers changed to Lucy Caboosey. It just kept getting worse until I hit the breaking point."

"That's when you started loosing weight?" Rachel asked gently.

Rachel really didn't know if anybody knew the real story of how Lucy Caboosey became Quinn Fabray. She was fascinated but heartbroken for the poor little girl who desperately wanted her parents to love her. She didn't even realize her own eyes had welled up with tears until that thought.

"Yeah I guess. I thought if I could fit into this mold of the perfect daughter then the problems with my parents would magically fix themselves," Quinn answered.

"So you became Quinn," Rachel nodded.

"I went through a lot of therapy in college to find different ways to navigate through my head. I was raised on negative thoughts and I always assumed I was the cause of every problem in my family. When losing the weight didn't change our dynamics, I started obsessing over different flaws. I figured if I couldn't fix my parents, I could always fix myself. Every time I found something I didn't like in myself, I changed it. I didn't learn to accept my flaws. I was simply told to change them."

"And so you kept changing yourself. As a kid. In high school. Even when we all thought you were okay…you weren't," Rachel muttered softly.

Rachel had known Quinn always had this dark cloud hanging around when they were in high school. It was obvious that Quinn had been sad and pretty alone at the time. The prettiest, most popular girl was probably the loneliest. She really wished their past could've been different. She knew that Quinn's insecurities had been the root of her cruelty.

"There were times when I thought I was okay…but no, I wasn't really ever okay in high school. First, I hated my nose. I got that fixed because that's the stellar parenting of the Fabray household- give a thirteen-year old plastic surgery. Then it was acne. I could've been a proactiv ad. That didn't fix my family. Then I dyed my hair. Maybe if I looked just like them. When that didn't work, I became reckless. I got pregnant which was horrifying to not be in control of my own weight for the first time but it was also freeing."

"I remember. You seemed...happier. I mean obviously stressed but freer," Rachel smiled sympathetically.

"For a little while I was. The real problem in high school was that I never felt beautiful. My nose was bought. My hair was fake. The last time I ever felt pretty was when I wore a tiara at the birthday party of a six year old. I fixated on winning prom queen. I failed. I hung on for a while but Finn dumping me for a girl who never had to try to be so beautiful...from the very first time you complimented me in high school, I hated you," Quinn confessed with a grimace.

* * *

_It had been the third day of classes during freshman year. Quinn had strutted down the hallway just as Frannie taught her. She tried to put on a front of being invincible and desirable. Her sister had actually coached her during the summer. When she turned the corner, she ran right into Rachel Berry. Both of their books had scattered. Somebody laughed. Quinn had been mortified because her prize possession- a worn copy of Wuthering Heights- had slid across the floor. A senior boy helped her with her books but immediately assumed that Wuthering Heights belonged to a nerdy looking Rachel Berry instead of a blonde Cheerio. After he left, Rachel handed the book back to Quinn._

_"Wuthering Heights. I love that book," Rachel had smiled._

_Quinn nodded while cautiously glancing around. Her sister's warning about being careful who she was seen associating with had been ringing in her ears._

_"You're in my English class. I'm Rachel Berry," Rachel had announced proudly._

_Quinn snatched the book back and started to walk off without responding. Some of the older Cheerios were watching. She didn't want them to think she was loser. _

_"I would assume someone with an appreciation of classic literature would at least know the proper conduct for introductions," Rachel had giggled._

_"Lu-Quinn. Quinn Fabray," Quinn had muttered._

_"You're new here, right? I don't remember seeing you in middle school."_

_Quinn nodded, glancing quickly over to the older Cheerios again. They weren't paying much attention._

_"That's what I thought. I'm sure I would have remembered someone like you. You're probably the prettiest girl in this school...and brains. I imagine you'll be quite popular. I should know. I intend to be popular as well. I'm going to be famous some day when I star on Broadway," Rachel had grinned proudly. _

_Quinn had blushed when Rachel said she was the prettiest girl in school. One of the older Cheerios had quickly come over and ushered Quinn away from the argyle-wearing freakshow- stating that Rachel had two fathers and that Quinn shouldn't associate with her. The Cheerio said that Rachel was weird and would probably say anything to get Quinn to be her friend. Rachel couldn't be trusted. She would use her for her popularity._

_Rachel had been hit with her first slushie moments after the older Cheerio escorted Quinn across the hallway. In that instant, Quinn had hated Rachel Berry for nearly ruining her chances at being a popular Cheerio...and for calling her the prettiest girl in school. She was sure that Rachel knew something about her past and had said it as a joke. _

* * *

_"_I hated you in high school because you always saw through me and yet you still had these unrealistic expectations of how beautiful I was. All I could see were the flaws or the pieces of me that I bought- somehow you saw something beautiful...and I thought you were full of shit. All of freshman year, I could've sworn you knew about Lucy and you were just waiting to strike. Then I was so angry because you never let anyone else get to you. _Everything_ got to me. You could just let it roll off your back. I hated how confident you were. I hated that you were beautiful just by being you. I bought my beauty. Santana got a boob job. You didn't do any of that and I kept losing boyfriends to you. I was so jealous. The truth is I hated myself far more than I could've ever hated you, but it was easier to take it out on you then admit I was miserable. And I wanted to hate you because you made me feel like you saw me when I thought I was so good at pretending. By the end of sophomore year, I was pretty sure that you see right through all of my bullshit. That was terrifying. I was so sure that it was all fake, none of the good in me was real and all of my beauty was bought. I was so afraid you would see that and tell everyone. The nicer you were- the more I hated myself. The more I hated myself...I always took it out on you," Quinn confessed, still seeming to be unaffected, rather detached about her own pain.

They both took long pulls from their wine glasses. Wine could smooth it all over. Wine could make former enemies confess the real reasons why. Nothing like a little alcohol to level all playing fields. Rachel sniffled a little and Quinn looked at her for the first time since she started talking about high school. Rachel was crying softly.

"Sorry. I get a little…I'm a cryer," Rachel shrugged helplessly, wiping her eyes again.

"It's okay I'm…I'm a represser and sometimes a total bitch."

Quinn's light chuckle turned into a full-bellied laugh after a moment. Rachel was a little stunned but ended up chuckling a little as well. Neither really knew why they were laughing.

"Quinn, you are so beautiful. Not just because you have great bone structure or blonde hair or a straight nose. The past month, working together…we all adore you. Not because we think you're hot. We adore you because you're fun. You're smart. You're…you're probably my best friend," Rachel laughed weakly with teary eyes and a wobbling bottom lip.

"I still have a hard time communicating. In high school, I mainly used anger or tears. In college, therapy helped break some of that. It's still easier for me to get mad or just cry instead of actually explain anything that I'm feeling. I've gotten a lot better. I still have an occasional sit-down with my therapist but over all, I've learned to manage. I haven't miraculously been healed- or exorcised all my demons. But I have learned to communicate better and to train myself to think a little differently. It's taken a lot of time and I've probably owed you this explanation for years. At first, I wasn't sure how to apologize. How do you say I'm sorry for being a horrendous bitch and taking all of my self-hatred out on you? It doesn't really seem to make up for it. Then I really didn't know how to explain or quite frankly if I trusted you enough to explain…but things are different now...what I'm really trying to say is that- I think- well it's not even so much that I think but it's just a fact…you're my best friend and I'm really, really so incredibly sorry that I treated you like shit in high school. So I know that never feeling good enough or never believing I'm beautiful wasn't a good reason to torture you. I know that you shouldn't forgive but I hope that you will. Because the truth is I don't think I've ever trusted anybody as much as I trust you, or have always trusted you- as fucked up as that is," Quinn laughed.

Rachel was silent for a moment before happily springing into action and hugging Quinn. They were both a little drunker than either initially realized but at least the hard part was over. An alcohol-induced apology that was still entirely sincere and fully explained. It was kind of a turning point mixed in with red wine. Maybe Quinn wouldn't have been as forthcoming about her past. Maybe she wouldn't have explained as much as she did. It had been eating away at her though. She had wanted to apologize. Now a weight was lifted for both of them. The final awkward conversation that was needed to push them into a new level of friendship- the last hurtle left from high school.

"I'm so happy to hear you say that. I thought maybe we were getting there but I didn't want to push you into being best friends," Rachel squealed.

Quinn laughed and pulled away with a grin.

"Okay, okay- I just wanted to be honest with you. I wanted to fill you in. I know you said I didn't need to but I needed to apologize. Who knows maybe it's the wine," Quinn chuckled.

"The apology wasn't necessary. I mean I think I had some idea anyway but to have you fully explain- I mean we all knew your parents weren't the easiest people to get along with and though I've tried to tread with caution when it comes to you, I've never truly blamed you for any of it. Yes, some days were terrible. Sometimes you were exceptionally cruel. However, I think I forgave you a long time ago. If it's a formal acceptance of your apology that you need, then I am happy to say that you are forgiven," Rachel smiled.

"Thank you. I still have my bad days. Hating myself for years wasn't something I could magically get over in one day. Sometimes, I need to stare in the mirror and verify that I still have a different nose- it seems ridiculous but some things between Lucy and Quinn- I just can't shake. Some days, I act like a total bitch because I woke up feeling ugly and I'm defensive from the start….but I'm having more good days. I have more good days with you. I'm-I'm really glad we're finally friends," Quinn smiled a little sheepishly.

Rachel grinned and took Quinn's hands in her own.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. Seriously, you have no clue! I love my spending my days with you and I happen to have a proposition for you," Rachel beamed excitedly.

"A proposition?"

"Since the show has been picking up the pace lately and as I'm sure you've realized I happen to live much closer to the studio. You're here all the time anyway. It's not like we can't stand sharing space- well I'll cut to the chase, which is so unlike me because normally I love to drag things out with a dramatic pause to build the suspense-," Rachel rambled.

"Rachel," Quinn cut in, raising an eyebrow.

"Right. As you know- Kate got the part in that new show. It's premiering on the West End so her trip to London is a little more permanent that a month in New York here or a week in Spain there. I wanted to tell you earlier...she's moving out. I didn't want to spring it on you without properly addressing some issues but…I want you to move in."

"You want me to live with you?"

"I want you to take over Kate's part of the lease for the next three months and then if you don't totally despise sharing living quarters with me, perhaps we could consider re-signing as actual roommates," Rachel confirmed.

"You're offering me your roommate's room?" Quinn asked slowly.

"Yes, Quinn. I am asking if you would like to live with me since your lease is ending shortly and Kate has to leave. The timing is perfect. You're my best friend. I'm your best friend. We're past the things that happened between us in high school. It's really quite perfect. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather live with."

"I-uh-I…yeah. Yeah, okay. That would actually- it's only a couple of months and then we can see how things go from there," Quinn stumbled over her response.

"Perfect," Rachel squealed, throwing her arms around Quinn again in another hug.

"You're still quite the hugger," Quinn laughed. "And without asking permission these days."

"Oh I can stop. I mean I can ask you first," Rachel replied with wide, fearful eyes.

"It's fine. To be honest, you never really asked me in high school. You always asked everyone else."

"I guess deep down I just knew we'd be best friends someday," Rachel practically glowed with excitement.

"Okay, don't let it get to your head Berry. We'll give this a shot. We'll try being roommates. It's a little different than me couch-crashing a couple of nights a week. We'll see how things go."

Two weeks later, Quinn moved into Rachel's apartment. It was strange how much their lives had changed in a few months. They worked on the same television show. They were roommates. They were best friends. Rachel probably managed to get under Quinn's skin more than anyone else. She still annoyed Quinn from time to time but for whatever reason, Quinn kept opening up. She was sure that Rachel knew things about her that no one else did. The same worked in reverse. Rachel ended up spilling all the details about her past relationships with Finn, Brody, and even this guy Josh that she was casually talking to. It wasn't serious but they'd met when he was doing a show in San Francisco. One of Rachel's friends from _Gracie_ had been in the production and introduced her to Josh. Quinn had actually gone to the show with her.

Quinn talked freely about her past with Rachel. She explained everything that went down with Jessica. Rachel swore if she met Jessica she would slap her or something. Quinn met a girl at the same show in San Francisco. She talked to Dana at the after-party while Rachel was talking to Josh. The night ended with Quinn and Rachel giggling in their hotel room while Quinn explained that while she didn't have a type per say- Dana certainly wasn't her type.

It was one of the most open friendships either girl had ever had. Rachel's friendship with Kurt was still sacred but had become strained somewhat after her final breakup with Finn. There were certain issues she felt she had to dance around because ultimately Kurt was still the brother of her ex-fiancé.

Quinn had Santana and Brittany. Still, there were secrets that she couldn't really talk about with them because it was Santana and Brittany. She loved them but could never fully shake the need to compete with Santana and keep Lucy away from Santana. She could never fully tell Brittany because she knew Brittany couldn't keep a secret from Santana.

It was freeing to have a real best friend for the first time. It was like her friendship with Mercedes multiplied by a million. Having a friend who was a friend for no reason. No personal gain. Not about constantly topping each other. Just a friend who listened, who laughed, and who hugged, of course…because Rachel Berry was a hugger.


	5. Chapter 5

"When did you know you were a hit? What the actual moment when you said 'oh my God' we've made it- we are a hit?" Rita asked, pushing her glasses up on her nose.

"For me, it didn't sink in until the first tour. That's when I finally realized how huge this whole thing had become," Quinn replied.

"I think that I knew it was different from anything else I'd worked on. I knew we were very quickly becoming successful but I didn't realize how successful. There had been hints but nothing that really sunk in. I went into a Duane Reade on a trip to New York for Upfronts and ended up signing autographs for like an hour outside of the building. That was certainly a first but no one really recognized me in the airport or followed me anywhere after Upfronts," Rachel breathed.

"What about bodyguards?"

"For events it became necessary," Rachel nodded.

"Yes, very quickly. Events and airports. That was surreal. The first time we ever got stalked at an airport. We were coming back from a press circuit in London and suddenly we were all mobbed," Quinn explained, seeming to go off into her own world while talking about it.

"So season one, you did mall tours, you did little press junkets, you did the network upfronts, and then you went to London…was that the first time that fame became a real thing and a sometimes scary thing?" Rita questioned gently.

"It was very different from what I thought it was going to be," Quinn replied after a moment.

"Even in your wildest dreams, you're not really prepared for it. You always think you're prepared. I followed the careers of Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion- even following Britney Spears…I thought I had some idea of what that must be like. You kind of think in the back of your mind that it must be a little unsettling to lose your privacy. Still, you're not really prepared. A thought in the back of your mind is totally different from having it thrown right in front of your face. Suddenly, everything you do is open to public scrutiny," Rachel agreed with wide eyes.

* * *

_LAX _

_Ten years ago_

The show had aired a few months ago. In the US, three episodes aired before the World Series began. The cast was asked to sing at the opening game as another promotional tactic. Rachel had stunned with her rendition of the National Anthem, accompanied by the rest of the cast as backup. That was the moment that marked the internet _SING!_ craze. Online blogs began buzzing about this tiny diva with the big voice who simply killed the Star Spangled Banner. Perez Hilton hailed that Rachel Berry's version was the best since Whitney Houston.

The buzz began. Entertainment shows started airing quick segments about _SING!_ and its cast. Chase had his first major interview with Access Hollywood. Things were finally starting to take off. By the time the first six episodes had aired, _SING!_ was a household name and various cast members kept receiving calls to grace the covers of magazines, though it seemed nobody knew their names or faces in separation from their characters. As individuals, they still had privacy.

The promotional team had been going crazy. They booked a mall tour as soon as they finished filming the first thirteen episodes. The main cast members were sent to six cities to promote album sales for the soundtrack of season one. At most, a hundred to two hundred people showed up. It was still a larger scale than the fifty or so waiting outside the stage door that Rachel had been used to. Yet it hadn't been as overwhelming as she would've thought.

Quinn had previously done a mall tour for _Champs_ at different Hot Topics when the store had released _Champs _t-shirts. Those fans had been a little intense. Her first mall tour consisted of a lot of teenage vampire fanatics. The _SING!_ mall tour had been, surprisingly, people of all ages. It hadn't been overwhelming, but it was not at all what she had expected. The paparazzi may not have been able to pick her name out from the rest in a cast line up, but the fans knew who Quinn Fabray was. They weren't shouting out Sam Ripley or Addison, her _Champs_ character. They were actually shouting Quinn's name.

Just a few weeks earlier, she and Rachel had taken that weekend trip to San Francisco and no one had known. They hadn't bothered to attempt to fly under the radar or worry about security. There hadn't been any need. She and Rachel had become roommates and there wasn't a huge story about it all over the news. The show had attention but the cast members as individuals weren't garnering any notice outside of their budding fan-base. However, six weeks later, even that was starting to change.

They had been scheduled to go to London to promote the series launch overseas. Both former Ohio natives had never been to the UK or anywhere outside of the continental US. They had been thrilled for the opportunity.

At LAX, Chase had been stopped by a paparazzo. The rest of the cast wasn't stopped. The man had noticed Chase, probably due to his height and asked him where he was headed. He snapped a few pictures and asked him which film he was promoting in London. That was the moment Chase realized the guy clearly thought Chase was someone else.

They had all teased Chase about actually thinking he had been famous for a day. Maybe that had given them a false sense of anonymity. They were fully unprepared for what awaited them as soon as they touched down in London. They had been greeted at the airport upon arriving with screams from fans and signs sporting their real names. The series had just premiered there and the fans were going insane. Literally two episodes had aired by the time they arrived the reception had clearly been warm.

They had spent hours each day signing autographs at every location they went to for press and again each time they returned to their hotel. Photographs were taken everywhere. When they all went sightseeing paparazzi trailed their every move. It had never been like that in America. They'd gotten press at events but never just traveling or eating dinner. The London photographers snapped shots of all of them outside a restaurant for Matt's birthday. It had been crazy.

None of them had expected such a welcome.

"Now I know what it means to be famous," Courtney laughed as they all settled into their seats for the flight back to the States.

"Phenomenal really, but I am so happy to be going home," Rachel sighed, leaning her head against Quinn's shoulder as the two linked arms.

"Me too. It'll be nice to go back to being mostly ignored," Quinn agreed kissing the top of Rachel's head.

As the cast had grown closer, the two roommates had become inseparable. Their past, combined with all of these new experiences, had led to a friendship much deeper than either girl had expected to ever have with a former high school nemesis. Quinn was amazed by how affectionate she had become toward Rachel. She'd never been like that with any of her other friends. Maybe slightly more affectionate with Mark, her former roommate, but she never felt the need to wrap him up in her arms and protect him.

"That was nuts," Scott laughed, still buzzing. "I signed some girl's upper boob."

"I bet you could've signed more than that. Those girls were crazy for us," Matt chuckled.

"Not just us. Did you see Fabray?" Chase teased, leaning back over the seat in front of the girls to wink at Quinn. "Talk about getting some. The ladies were throwing themselves at you. Who knew?"

Quinn flushed and pulled away from Rachel. Her sexuality was well known within the cast but nothing had been said to the press. While they were all constantly fielding questions about their love lives while in London, it had been decided that none of them would discuss relationships with the public at this point in their careers. Once some of the buzz had settled, they could reveal who was actually taken and who was single. Nobody had bothered to question Quinn's sexuality in the press. She was always avoiding questions of which male cast member was the hottest and if she had a lucky fellow waiting in the states. David had been the only cast member to be asked point blank about his sexuality but Rachel had quickly jumped in with an anecdote about her two fathers and how all of the cast sported LGBT rights.

"I don't know. I think they were all just excited to see us," Quinn said shyly.

"They wanted to see you naked," Matt smirked.

"Shut up, Gilbert. I hate you," Quinn laughed.

The rest of the trip passed in relative silence. They mostly slept. London had been exhausting. Even their layover in Boston was pretty quiet. Half of the cast slept sprawled out across the seats in the airport. Rachel curled up against Quinn with her legs tucked underneath herself while the blonde sipped on a coffee and read a book. She hadn't even realized Rachel fell asleep while leaning on her shoulder until Brooke had nudge the little brunette that it was time to board.

"Sleep alright?" Quinn asked, with an amused grin.

Rachel rolled her eyes and attempted to fix her hair.

"Have you slept at all?" Rachel countered.

Quinn nodded to the book in her hands and Rachel laughed. She often found the blonde passed out on their couch with a different book across her chest. Once Quinn started a classic, she couldn't stop. She'd read on set. She'd read at home. She'd read on the plane. London had taken away most of her leisure reading so Quinn was trying to make up for it by finishing _For Whom the Bell Tolls_ before they returned to LA.

"I can't wait to sleep in my own bed," Scott groaned as they waited by luggage claim.

"I can't wait to grab an In & Out burger," Chase laughed.

Rachel rolled her eyes and smacked him in the stomach. Quinn was leaning against the wall trying to block out the rest of her friends. She shut the book with a satisfied grin. Hemingway completed.

Brooke and Courtney sprang to their feet as the baggage carousel came to life. Matt and Chase took turns grabbing bags from everyone despite the insistence of airport personnel to help them with all of their bags. Everything got loaded onto carts to take to the cars waiting outside.

Carl Woodland, one of the show's many assistants was there to corral the cast and make sure everyone got home safely. It was the first time the show had sent someone to the airport with the car service. Rachel and Quinn frowned at each other, watching Carl's stiff and tense movements.

It all became clear once they pushed through the doors to the curbside pickup. It was like being back in London all over again. Paparazzi rushed them. Flashes going off all over the place, video cameras thrust in their faces, and questions flying from every direction.

"How was London?"

"Ready to start filming?"

"How does it feel to be home?"

"Rachel, were you and Chase on a dinner date?"

"Brooke, is it true you broke up with your boyfriend for one of the show's writers?"

"Quinn, are you and Matt sleeping together?"

"Courtney, how do you feel about Quinn and Matt?"

"Matt, Courtney or Quinn? Who are you with? Both?"

"David, the London press was running stories that you're gay? Are you coming out?"

"Is Lemily real life?"

"Rachel did you and Chase share a hotel room?"

Everyone was momentarily stunned. Fame landed overnight while they were out of the country. Rachel was rooted to the spot as a TMZ cameraman thrust his camera right in her head. Quinn ducked her head, grabbed Rachel's hand, and took off towards the nearest car.

"Rachel, tell us about Chase? Is it true love?"

"Rachel, did you stay in the same room with your boyfriend?"

"Quinn what about Matt?"

Quinn opened the door and nearly shoved Rachel inside with all their bags. Rachel squeaked and unceremoniously flopped into the car. Quinn jumped in quickly and slammed the door.

"What the hell was that?" Rachel shrieked as they pulled away from the curb.

Only then did she realize that Quinn was nearly having a panic attack.

"Quinn? Oh God. Are you okay?" Rachel asked, worry written all over her face.

Quinn tried to catch her breath but couldn't seem to get it together. She couldn't get her breath. She was panicking.

"Quinn, I need you to breathe," Rachel gasped, grabbing Quinn's face.

Quinn's hazel eyes were wild and Rachel tried to get her to focus on her own breath. She pulled Quinn's face toward her own, attempting to get her to focus on anything.

"Come on, Quinn. Breathe with me. I need you to breathe, babe," Rachel cooed softly.

"Everything okay back there?" the drive asked.

"Just take us home," Rachel ordered, keeping her attention on Quinn.

Quinn's eyes seemed to come back into to focus and locked on Rachel's watery brown ones.

"That's it. Come on, sweetie. Just breathe with me. That's my girl. You're okay, honey. You're okay," Rachel promised as Quinn slowly came back to herself.

"I'm okay," Quinn nodded, still breathing deeply.

Rachel nodded with her, "You're okay baby."

"I'm okay," Quinn repeated.

After a few more moments, the blonde seemed calm again.

"What was that?" Rachel asked cautiously.

"I don't know. I just…I panicked. They were all there and…there were so many flashes and…I couldn't find you," Quinn answered with teary eyes.

"Honey, you were holding my hand the whole time," Rachel sighed.

"I know that but…he asked me," Quinn whispered.

"Who did? What did they ask?"

"He asked me if I was lesbian," Quinn answered shakily.

They were both silent. Rachel contemplated immediately calling Alan. He was their ultimate boss. He would know how to handle any situation. Quinn was so protective of her sexuality. It had taken months for her to come out to the cast. She knew Alan would know what to say. However, she would have to use one of her hands to use her phone to call Alan. Quinn had a death grip on both of her hands. She took a breath and decided that what Quinn needed in that moment wasn't Alan Peters advice. She needed her best friend. Rachel could definitely do that.

"Who asked you that?"

"One of the reporters. There were so many questions and I wasn't answering anything. Then the one just said it. 'Have you heard from Jessica' and I paused. It was only a second, a millisecond. I couldn't breathe. The pause was the only confirmation he needed. He asked if it was true I was a lesbian. You saw what happened with David. They're jumping all over him now. Then they kept asking about Matt and…we never talk about it. None of us. We've all tried to stay so quiet," Quinn shook her head, closing off again.

"It's changing, isn't it?" Rachel asked already knowing the answer.

"This must be how the big time feels," Quinn sighed, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the seat.

"I'll call Alan in the morning. I think we can basically kiss our private lives goodbye for a while."

Rachel's phone rang a few moments later. It was Scott calling to make sure the girls got out of there okay. He explained that Courtney immediately went into some strange Mama Bear mode and got David out of there as fast as possible. Brooke, Chase, and Matt stayed and tried to steer the reports away from certain lines of questioning and answer as many questions about the trip as possible to give them all good stories instead of printing about the chaotic sprint of several of the show's leads. Scott said that Chase had really dealt with the press the best and that he felt that thanks to those three that most of it would blow over. Scott assured them that they all had nothing to worry about.


	6. Chapter 6

Scott was wrong. A backlash began. Most of it was against Rachel and David. Rachel was painted as a diva. The media began to tear her to shreds. She was reported as hard to work with, a bitch, a diva, and cold-hearted. She didn't have time for interviews. She couldn't be bothered to sign things for her fans. She was stuck up her own ass. David was officially out on every magazine. One little slipup in London and they all ran with it as his coming out. Again, Rachel was the diva who tried to upstage him. The press ran that she stepped on his toes when he was attempting to come out. She couldn't stop talking about her gay fathers and made everything into the Rachel Berry show.

"Alan is trying to get as much positive press as possible out there. He's running a counterattack as we speak," Chase explained, as the cast was all gathered at Quinn and Rachel's for another watch party.

"It's fine. People called me diva in high school. It's nothing I haven't heard before," Rachel sighed.

They were all crowded into the living room around the TV. The newest episode wouldn't air for another hour. The pizza was on its way. They were all drinking a little wine or beer…or ginger ale in David's case.

"If a man is professional and works hard, he's called driven. If a woman is a hard working professional, she's labeled a bitch," Courtney remarked, swirling the wine in the bottom of her glass.

"Think you've had enough, Court?" Matt asked slowly.

"You know what, fuck you Gilbert. You're the reason I'm now labeled as a floozy. I'm a slut who apparently just sleeps everyone," Courtney snapped.

"Yeah and I'm the playboy asshole thanks to you," Matt countered.

"Guys, the last thing we need to do is turn on each other," David pleaded softly.

"Please, you're the saint in all of this. The poor little gay who got shoved out of the closet by the big bad diva. You're getting your own storyline arc next season, I wouldn't complain about it," Matt grumbled.

"Hey, don't be a dick," Chase cut in.

"I'm not- I wasn't…it sucks man. I'm sorry you got outted. I didn't think it was going to be like this," Matt sighed.

"Well it's not as if I wasn't out already to my family and friends. It's a little terrifying to be out to the entire country but it wasn't a huge secret. I never really denied it. I wouldn't say I was forced out," David shrugged.

Matt smiled at him and patted him on the back as a silent apology for his earlier comment. David nodded at him.

"This is what Alan was talking about. It happens all the time. People skyrocket to fame and then there's inevitably a backlash. This is our backlash," Chase explained.

Brooke plopped down on the floor on her back. She stuck her feet up in the air. Courtney rolled her eyes and started rubbing Brooke's feet now placed in the Latina's lap.

"I know this is all part of it but I hate being labeled a slut. I've been fighting that stereotype my entire life. I don't mind playing one. Alessandra is a slut. But me, Courtney, I'm a nice girl. I've only slept with handful of people and I've been in relationships with all of them. This sucks," Courtney groaned.

"I know. My mom's been fielding phone calls from PTA members at my sister's school asking if she raised a womanizer," Matt scoffed.

They all chuckled a little. Matt even cracked a smile when Brooke started humming "Womanizer" by Britney Spears.

"So do we come clean?" Courtney questioned.

"And say what?" Matt laughed.

"We do a little press. We all say how much we love and adore Rachel. How entirely untrue all of that is. She's not a diva. She just works hard. We tell them about us. You and I dated. We broke up. We're still great friends. I think the world of you and in turn you…" Courtney trailed off.

"Still love you- but that part might put you in kind of a bad light….I don't know. I guess we could try to fix some things. Get the real stories out there."

"The _SING!_ cast comes clean. A big interview with People magazine," Scott grinned.

"Seriously?" Chase asked with a chuckle.

"Wait, I like it. It could work. Think about it. They can interview us separately. All we have to do is tell the truth. We can come clean about our relationships. We can tell them how much we genuinely enjoy each other. This could work," David pressed excitedly.

"Twitter," Scott suggested.

"God bless you?" Matt laughed uncertainly.

"No! Twitter. Social networking. I know, I know, but think about it. Maybe Courtney had the right idea all along. How fast did the Squirt Gun War go viral? We all get professional, verified Twitter accounts, we start uploading pictures of our watch parties, onset antics, tweet each other birthday messages. We could build up online friendships for the world to see," Scott nodded, opening up his laptop and logging on to his twitter.

"You've been onboard with the twitter from the beginning?" Brooke asked with a giggle.

"Yes, but mine is a private account. I can get a verified public account and so can all of you. Think about it. How many followers do you already have, Court? Chase and Matt have it. How many people follow you when you rarely even use it. We start using them more, promoting our accounts even. Bring it up in an interview. We'll have millions of followers and it will be the perfect way to reach our fans without a middleman. No reporters twisting words around. Nobody commenting on the way we say things. Nobody can say how one of us leapt on top of the other with energetic speeches about ourselves. It's just us and our fans. We control what they get to see."

"I like it. I also enjoy being told that I was right from the beginning. I've been telling you bitches to use Twitter for months now," Courtney nodded.

"We should run it by Alan," Chase agreed.

"Totally. Of course. And I still think we need a few articles out there from legit publications. If we tweet each other, they'll be picked up and ran again by blog after blog but a few actual magazine publications may not be a bad thing to see in the grocery story checkouts," Scott plotted.

"You, my friend, are a genius," David smiled, patting Scott on the back.

Later that night after everyone left, Chase, Rachel, and Quinn sat in the living room staring at the flashing television. The local news was on but the sound had been turned off the TV over an hour ago while everyone had been playing Apples to Apples…which Courtney took pictures of and tweeted. They were friends. The entire cast loved each other. None of them were necessarily looking forward to making a show of their friendships online but if that was the quickest way to squash the backlash, it would be worth it.

"So I guess we've really hit the big time," Chase sighed, collapsing back on the couch next to Rachel.

"Did you talk to her?" Rachel asked, patting Chase's arm.

Quinn quirked her eyebrow but remained silently as she finished off her glass of wine. She watched them both carefully.

"I told her everything. I explained but…I can't imagine how hard it is for her. I mean, I never denied I had a girlfriend but I didn't exactly proclaim it from the rooftops. It's been difficult," Chase groaned, shutting his eyes.

"Do you want me to talk to her? We just rode in the same car. I don't know how Quinn and Courtney snuck in under the radar like that but it wasn't like you and I went on a date. They could tell Cam that they were there, too," Rachel laughed weakly.

Chase looked like he'd aged a year in a week. His normal spiky hair was a little more unkempt from running his hands through it so often. He hadn't been on camera that day so his five o'clock shadow was far more pronounced than usual. He looked tired. Quinn was sure that they all looked exhausted but Chase seemed to be taking it the hardest. He wasn't being labeled a diva or gay but the press was trying so hard to link him to Rachel and it was taking a toll on his real relationship.

"It's not that. She knows there's nothing going on between us. I told her about Josh. She's just…she's tired, I guess. She's been sharing me with the rest of the world and…I haven't shared her with the world at all. I didn't want to. She didn't ask for this. I'm the one on the TV show. She's just a girl I grew up with. She should be entitled to her privacy."

"And that's it? You're just accepting that it's over?" Rachel pouted.

"I'm gonna refill. Anybody else want a glass?" Quinn interrupted gruffly.

Chase and Rachel both seemed to suddenly remember the blonde had even been there. Quinn squashed down the feeling that was creeping up in her chest. She wasn't even sure what it was but the increasing weight on her chest ached. If she ignored it maybe it would go away.

"Oh, um, no thanks, Q. I've gotta drive," Chase attempted a smile in the blonde's direction.

"Fill me up, dear," Rachel winked, handing Quinn her glass. "And Chase, you can stay here if you think you're a little drunk."

Quinn sighed and took Rachel's glass in hand with her own to walk to the kitchen. She paused in the doorway to watch her two costars interact a little more. She really hated the way her stomach was attempting to revolt. Maybe she didn't need anymore wine.

"Yeah right. Press caught me driving in. All I need is pictures of me leaving your apartment the next morning in the same clothes," Chase laughed dryly.

Quinn's stomach twisted violently again and the pressing weight on her chest threatened to crush her. She swallowed thickly and escaped to the kitchen. They were friends. Why would it matter if that changed? Quinn couldn't shake the unease in her gut.

"I can talk to Josh. Maybe he is okay with the idea of going public," Rachel suggested.

Chase smiled at Rachel gently. Rachel was always willing to put herself in the crossfire for her friends. How the media labeled her a diva was beyond him.

"Don't worry about it. Your relationship is yours. Deal with it all on your own terms. Don't go public just to save my sinking ship. I think Cam and I have been drowning for a while."

Quinn sulked back into the room and caught the end of Chase's thought. She couldn't figure out why she hated Chase and Rachel's friendship so much. Chase was a wonderful friend to both of them. Once the press started running stories about a budding relationship between the two costars, things started getting weird. Chase's relationship with Cameron went from on-the-rocks to practically non-existent. Rachel's casual flirtation with Josh, the friend of a Broadway friend that she met in San Francisco, went from just that- casual flirtation to a secret romance that only Quinn, Chase, and of course Josh were aware of. It had been eating away at Quinn for weeks. Her stomach twisted again and she fought against it. She wouldn't focus on such feelings and let them get to her.

Also Jessica's name had been thrown around by the press a few more times in random outings with the paparazzi. Apparently, the other girl had spoken to a blog or something about her history with Quinn Fabray. She didn't out Quinn per say but she had certainly hinted that the blonde TV star cheerleader might be something other than 100% straight. So the backlash had continued for everyone.

Quinn had in turn become a recluse. She avoided going out in public unless she was heading to work or it was mandatory for work. She'd been caught several times glaring at paparazzi who asked the wrong questions at the wrong times. She was getting a reputation as a bitch in Hollywood by the media.

Rachel the diva. Chase the boy in love with the diva. Quinn the bitchy cheerleader. Courtney the slut. Matt the playboy. David the homo. Scott and Brooke were the only ones to come off relatively clean in the whole thing. Though there had been some speculation about whether Brooke's relationship would last and if Scott wasn't totally straight because he had been in a boyband once. The rest of them were being labeled as their characters. The only upside had been that Quinn's actual bitchy cheerleading past hadn't come out yet.

"Quinn, get in here," Rachel shrieked.

Quinn finally made her presence known. She walked further into the room with the two wine glasses and bottle of wine in hand. Rachel nodded towards the TV and turned the volume back on.

"Sources are now saying that Quinn Fabray may be a little closer to her onscreen character than originally let on," came spilling from the speakers.

An image of Quinn in her Sam Ripley costume was paired next to a picture of high school Quinn in a Cheerios uniform. Both pictures were scowling.

"And then the earth opens up and swallows me whole," Quinn muttered, clutching the wine glasses tighter.

"Turns out, Fabray was a national cheerleader champion on McKinley High's Cheerios squad. However, the story goes deeper than that. Remember when _SING!_ first started gracing our televisions with its upbeat songs and witty dialogue-"

Cut to a clip of the pilot of _SING!_ with the glee club members performing one of their biggest hits which shot straight to the top of the iTunes charts in the first week after the premiere. It had been the song that really made the show a phenomenon as it was currently being labeled.

"We previously ran a story about _SING!_'s resident glee club diva being in a glee club with her cheerleading costar in high school. The girls were in fact classmates and glee-mates but now we're finding out also enemies. That's right, you heard it here first. _SING!_'s best friend duo and now real life best friend duo and roommates used to be enemies. Fabray was the popular girl who tortured the glee club for years. Berry was the star receiving the brute of her torment."

"Oh God."

"Oh no."

Rachel and Quinn muttered at the same time.

The show cut to actual footage of Quinn shoulder checking Rachel in the hallway during sophomore year. The Cheerios uniform was firmly in place and Finn Hudson was by her side looking back to Rachel and the camera. It was eerily familiar to the first episode of _SING!_ before Emily and Sam had become friends through glee club.

"Jewfrow," Quinn hissed.

"That's not all. Fabray's past is twisted. The girls have both talked about sharing a high school history. But their history is complicated- involving teen pregnancy, adoption, and you guessed it: the same boyfriend," the voice over played over clips of the two singing and dancing together on _SING!_

There was a loud crash and Rachel squeaked. She turned to find Quinn shaking amid a mess of broken glass. The shattered wine glasses and bottle were at her feet. She was pale as a ghost and her whole body was quivering.

"Oh shit," Chase shouted and ran over to Quinn.

He picked her up and placed her away from the shattered glass while Rachel ran for a rag. Quinn was leaning against the wall silently crying and shaking.

"Honey," Rachel whispered, her heart breaking as she wiped the wine from Quinn's feet and legs making sure she hadn't been cut.

"She's a minor. They can't- they can't run stories about her. She's not even mine anymore, she's- they can't print her name. They can't," Quinn muttered anxiously.

Rachel stood up and wrapped her arms around the blonde. Quinn cried into Rachel's hair. The brunette exchanged looks with the boy across the room. Chase finished sweeping up the broken glass and let himself out.

Later that night, the two were tucked under a blanket together on the couch. The television was off and the only light came spilling in from the kitchen behind them. The living room was basically dark. Quinn stared out of the glass door to their balcony, breathing deeply while Rachel's fingers danced over the blonde's palm. They were cuddled close together. Quinn had finally calmed down but only seemed to be calm when Rachel was touching her. If they were apart, Quinn's head took over and she started to freak out.

"So the lawyers say that Beth's name will be kept out of the media. Alan said we'll have to deal with this the best that we can. It will need to be addressed. We'll have to talk briefly about our past but the important thing is that we're here now. You're my best friend and my roommate. There is no one in the world who is more important to me than you. You're my sanity in this business," Rachel explained, keeping her voice low and soothing.

Quinn nodded but remained silent.

"He said maybe you could take to your tumblr. You could write a statement of sorts. We'll do a few interviews together. We'll talk about the normal high school drama. I'll mention how brave you were and the amazing person you are for giving your daughter the best life you could have at seventeen. You'll explain that since she is not an actor or has any aspirations toward fame, you would hope that people will respect her privacy and your own in leaving a child out of the mess of show business," Rachel continued, still tracing patterns on Quinn's palm.

"I talked to Shelby and Mark," Quinn said softly.

"Mark?"

"My old roommate. He's..he and his girlfriend, fiancé- they called it off. He's agreed to help me out. We're going to have dinner," Quinn replied.

"Dinner? I'm confused," Rachel smiled, laughing slightly at the strange direction the conversation was going.

Quinn finally looked at her sadly. She grimaced and nodded. She knew this next part wouldn't go over well. Rachel was such an open book. She wouldn't support Quinn lying to everyone.

"Mark and I will go to dinner. We'll see some movies. People can draw their own conclusions. He's not seeing anyone and he said it wouldn't hurt for his latest project to get a little more visibility. It's not like I'll go on record saying he's my boyfriend or something."

"A beard? Really?" Rachel asked, trying but failing to hide the disappointment in her voice.

Quinn groaned. She knew Rachel would be disappointment in her.

"Stop it, Rachel. I know, okay. I'm not going to say I'm dating him. We're not going public with a false relationship. We are friends who are going to catch up and if the media draws its own conclusions…people think I'm bitch. That's okay. I am. I really can be a huge bitch. And you know, I was. I was a horrible person in high school and it was only a matter of time until somebody leaked how awful I was to you. I made a lot of mistakes. Having Beth was never one of them. They may not publish her name. They may not hound her for pictures. But people will know. Not the entire country but more people will know than they did yesterday. I spoke with Shelby. I trust Shelby and I know that she will handle it. She'll take care of Beth and she won't let it change her life in any negative way…but…I've had one girlfriend, Rachel. I've been in love once…with a girl…I'm not like David. My family-they don't know, or maybe they do. We don't discuss it. Even if it's not a secret, it's not something we talk about. Shelby doesn't know. Beth doesn't know. Some of my friends know...but I'm still largely in the closet, "Quinn admitted, sounding more ashamed with each word.

Rachel stopped tracing patterns and laced her fingers through Quinn's instead. She locked their hands together and squeezed reassuringly. She smiled at Quinn. She knew this had to be difficult for Quinn. Being called a diva was something Rachel was used to. Having the entire country pry into Quinn's life, prying into Beth. _Champs_ had been popular but not big enough that major publications even cared about the show or its stars. She'd been in Teen Bop. They didn't really dig into Quinn's past. They were concerned about her preference of vampires or werewolves.

"Thanks to this show, people love us and we are everywhere now- but our privacy is disappearing and it's costing us. I know we'll handle it. The things that they've leaked already, we can handle it. Most of our relationships are okay if they were strong enough to begin with. I feel terrible for Chase and Cameron, but Brooke and Michael are fine. It sucks for Matt and Courtney but they're still friends and they'll be fine. It really suck for you and I but…but we're still friends and we'll be fine no matter how they twist our past and bring up awful feelings we've tried to put behind us. We'll be okay because you're my best friend," Quinn gave Rachel a tiny half smile.

Quinn's pep talk was more for herself than Rachel but the brunette nodded and agreed anyway.

"We're gonna be fine. I'm never worried about us, Quinn."

"I can handle the stories about Beth. Her status as minor and the fact that she's adopted- those things protect her. We haven't had a lot of contact. She's not really mine for them to pry into...I haven't told my mother. I don't know if we've had a real conversation in at least three years. It's still better than it ever was in high school but- I haven't actually told her. I'm sure she knows. It's not exactly a secret but I've never come out and said..._those_ words to my own mother. My father- he even called me after the show started picking up steam. I know it was more for namesake or publicity. His daughter is famous now. I'm sure people were asking questions. I'm just…I'm not ready for the world to know. I don't care about him. I don't care if my father never supports me but I'm not ready to lose my mom again. I think she knows and I doubt she cares but on the off-chance that- well, I'd like to tell her in my own time than have Entertainment Tonight tell her for me. There are so many people who have no idea. Mercedes. Artie. Sam. Any of them really. You, Santana, and Brittany are the only ones from high school who know. I'm not ready and they're really digging for any stories they can get on us. If this is next- if this gets to Shelby and Beth before I can- if they need a story to write, I'd rather be in control of what they can speculate about."

"And Mark's totally aware of the situation and he's okay with it? When did you talk to him? Have you been planning this for a while?" Rachel asked, finding it difficult to swallow the entire idea.

Logically she knew why Quinn was concerned. Still, she was her fathers' daughter. They were proud. They were open. She couldn't imagine either one of them going on dinner dates with a woman just to let other people speculate.

"After London, I called him. We talked about it a little. Nothing was set in stone. I texted him tonight."

Rachel took a deep breath and nodded.

"I know you don't agree with this and I know you've been saying since day one that I should be proud of who I am, that I can be a real voice for a lot of teens. I wish I could be the person that you think I can be. I'm not that strong," Quinn sighed as a tear slid down her cheek.

Rachel's heart broke. As much as she didn't want everything to blow up in Quinn's face, she also couldn't stand to be the person to cause her any pain. If that meant going along with Quinn essentially having a beard then Rachel would support her for the time being. Things were changing far too fast and it was probably easier to deal with her issues with her sexuality than really worry about Beth when they've had so little contact.

"Quinn, I may not always agree with you but I will support you in whatever you feel you need to do to be happy. As far as the other stuff goes, you are the strongest person I know. You always have been. It's okay if you're not ready now. I know you will be. Someday, you'll be that strong and I will still be here supporting you no matter what," Rachel smiled, wiping Quinn's tears.

She cupped Quinn's face in her hands and leaned forward to press her lips against the blonde's forehead. Quinn sighed. The blonde closed her eyes at the contact. The twisting in her stomach returned in a different way. It twisted but it fluttered, almost like butterflies. She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind again. She squashed down whatever she was feeling and focused on taking the heat off Beth and keeping whatever privacy she could manage. It wasn't the first time she questioned why someone with as many secrets and skeletons in her closet as herself chose to be in show business. One look at the brunette by her side and she remembered part of the perks of the business. It hadn't been her first career choice. Quinn never thought she'd end up here...but she couldn't regret having a second chance at the best friendship she'd ever known. She couldn't regret seeing the world from a totally new vantage point. Most importantly, she couldn't regret sharing her new experiences with Rachel Berry.

That's normal to feel for your best friend, right?


	7. Chapter 7

The room was silent for a moment, as Rita Jones seemed to be at a loss for words. The journalist got up and turned off the tape. She sat back down.

"I just wanted to stop for a second. Fame has its ups and downs. I know that. I've seen it many times over. I just wanted to take a second and say that the way that you handled everything with your daughter was one of the bravest and classiest things I've ever witnessed in all my years of journalism. I think you handled it exceptionally well and I'm not sure if anyone ever gave you credit for the ways in which you turned around the backlash surrounding your show. I just needed to pause and let you know that you've done some amazing things with your career, both of you. But I think that was the first instance the public got to view the real Quinn Fabray," Rita said to Quinn.

Then the journalist turned to Rachel, "And the real Rachel Berry. I think the reason that _SING!_ was so successful then and will continue to be, is that Alan Peters found an amazing group of people to introduce to the world. Setting the show itself, aside, Alan assembled a family that America was happy to know. I suppose it's no secret to say I'm a fan of you both."

"Thank you," Quinn blushed.

"That's not even touching on how brave you both were when announcing your relationship," Rita gushed.

"Is there water?" Rachel asked.

"Water? Oh sure. I'll be right back," Rita rushed from the room.

Rachel turned to Quinn with a smirk on her face. Quinn raised an eyebrow in return. The beginning of the show, the backlash had been difficult at the time but it was no longer hard to talk about. They had both moved on from that. Things had worked out for the best in the long run.

"I think someone has a crush on you," Rachel teased.

"Shut your mouth, Berry," Quinn laughed.

"You gonna make me," Rachel winked.

Quinn blushed. It never failed. After years, Quinn still blushed when Rachel blatantly flirted with her. It was one of the things that Rachel adored the most about her best friend.

"There is a camera in the room. Have you learned nothing, Miss Berry?"

"It's turned off," Rachel whined, leaning closer to Quinn.

"That's what they all say and then there's sex tape," Quinn chuckled before kissing Rachel gently.

"There better not be a sex tape. If I haven't made one with you, then I sure hope nobody else has," Rachel glared playfully.

"I'm telling you baby, I love you dearly and I think you're beyond sexy…but those things always have a way of coming out," Quinn laughed, shaking her head.

"Fine. But just so you know, I'm taking the gloves off now," Rachel smirked.

"Taking the gloves off? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just wait. You're gonna be in so much trouble later."

"With you or the network? Sometimes you scare me, Berry," Quinn tried to fight her grin.

Rita came bouncing back in the room with two bottles of water. It was immediately noticeable that the tension in the room had shifted. The girls looked almost playful. The entire mood of the room had changed in a few minutes.

"Shall we?" the journalist asked, turning the camera back on.

"So where were we? Still season one?" Quinn asked with a wink.

"Bodyguards," Rita replied. "But nearing the end of the first, I'd say."

"Yeah. It wasn't until we started airing the back nine that the pandemonium really got crazy. Filming the first few episodes we were in a bubble of sorts. Some people knew about the show but not many. Then when they started airing, it really seemed like overnight success. It didn't hit until London. Then it really hit with the backlash. Alan kept assuring us that if people were that involved in our personal lives then it meant that we really had something as a show. We had fans. We had fans who were obsessed with knowing all the details of our lives. The backlash led to bodyguards, but again it was surreal. We all had them but we didn't use them daily. It was strictly for events and traveling as a group…or airports. Airports were always crazy. They still are," Rachel explained.

"So in the summer hiatus after season one, did you really think about how much your lives had changed in the past year? Or were avoiding thinking about it because it'd been beaten over your head so much throughout the year?" Rita questioned, settling back into her chair.

"We were busy during the summer hiatus. That was our first tour. It was when everything started to come together in my head. After all the backlash, the paparazzi run ins, the mall tour, everything- that summer tour was the first time we really got to meet our fans. That was when the previous year finally paid off. All of the gossip, hurt, and tears didn't matter as much as seeing what our show did for all of these people. We got to see firsthand, what our own lives had done for thousands of people. It was completely surreal and the most rewarding experience," Rachel grinned.

"I can imagine. It had to be rewarding to finally meet all of the people whose lives you had changed. Tell me about the first tour. What was it like? What was that first night stepping out onto the stage like? How did that feel?" Rita smiled.

* * *

_Chicago- 1__st__ Summer Tour_

_Nine Years Ago_

Rachel skipped into the hotel room and twirled in the middle of the room between the two beds. Quinn followed behind her with Scott laughing at Rachel's antics. The bellboy came in right behind them, shaking his head and grinning, while pulling the cart with Rachel and Quinn's bags.

"Have a great show tonight," the bellboy smiled as he left the room.

"Can you believe it? We're doing a concert!" Scott nearly squealed, plopping on Quinn's bed while Rachel dove unto her own.

"Oh please, Mr. Boyband, you're like a pro at this," Quinn teased, sitting down at the edge of the bed, swatting Scott's feet.

"Not like this. It's sold out! None of our performances were ever sold out with the guys. We couldn't sell out a county fair with the band. This is insanity!"

"I'm gonna sing Barbra in front of a sold out crowd," Rachel sighed happily.

"Again, you're a pro. You won a freaking Tony singing Barbra every night to sold out crowds in New York," Quinn rolled her eyes.

"Are you nervous, Fabray?" Scott asked, sitting up quickly.

"Of course not," Quinn attempted to scoff.

"You're nervous!" Scott gasped, flinging himself onto Quinn and tickling her.

"Get off me," Quinn gasped for air, laughing and squirming underneath Scott's endless tickle fight.

"Admit you're nervous," Scott prodded.

The truth was, no matter what background they each had in performing, none of them had ever experienced anything like their first sound check in the arena- knowing it was completely sold out. It was ten times the size of any show Scott's boyband ever booked. It was certainly ten times the size of any Broadway theatre Rachel had performed in. It was, without a doubt, larger than any place Quinn had ever performed with the New Directions. Nervous was an understatement. Quinn was thrilled yet terrified.

Rachel was bustling about the room, nearly bursting with excitement. She'd known since she was a little girl that Broadway was her destiny. However, she'd known since birth that singing was her passion. She never truly dreamt she'd sell out an arena. She'd only allowed herself to strive for crowded theatres in New York City. In the furthest part of her dreams, she hoped to be like Barbara Streisand- an EGOT winner. Babs could sell out arenas. Babs did it all. Rachel wanted to do it all. Reality was an entirely different feeling than a dream as a little girl. Mostly, Rachel had wanted a Tony. Once she had that, it seemed like it was only right to hope for more- to keep striving and improving. She honestly thought after _Funny Girl_ won a Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album that she could cross it off her list. Yet the idea of touring and connecting with a much larger audience, touching people with her music seemed to call to her. Did the Grammy really count as her own if it went to the producer? Maybe a Grammy of her very own would be next instead of the Oscar…or the Emmy. Good God, how she wanted to get an Emmy. It couldn't be that far off. The show was well received with critics. Still, she couldn't get ahead of herself. Tonight wasn't about the Emmy's or Oscars or Grammy's.

Tonight was the first live concert of Rachel Berry in a huge arena- and it was sold out. She wasn't nervous. She was ecstatic. She was literally living her dream. She was about to have the best night of her life and on top of that, she would share it with her best friends.

Meanwhile, the more Quinn thought about it- the more she felt like throwing up. Her singing had improved some since high school but she still felt like the weak link in the cast, vocally speaking. She knew she could act. Brooke always swore Quinn could act circles around most of them- not Rachel though. Quinn knew Rachel was meant for all of it. Rachel Berry was their brightest star on all accounts.

Quinn was…she was a good actress. She was a decent singer. She was a pretty good dancer. She was going to perform in front of how many thousand people? She was going to sing live while dancing and prancing around like she was- what? Like she was Rachel freaking Berry? Quinn couldn't perform on that level. She didn't have the energy to keep up. Rachel was in a class all her own. What if the audience noticed how much better everyone else was? What if people thought Quinn sucked? How did she get this job?

"Knock, knock," a male voice called from the open doorway.

"Josh!" Rachel squealed, launching herself at the guy.

"I'm nervous!" Quinn shouted at the same time.

Scott flopped back beside Quinn on the bed. He was laughing while Josh picked Rachel up and twirled her around. Quinn was mid-panic attack.

"Don't be nervous. You'll be fine. You crashing with me tonight, Q?" Scott asked, nodding toward the couple kissing in the doorway.

"Oh," Quinn breathed, smiling weakly.

Somehow the spectacle in front of her knocked the breath from her. Her panic attack was forgotten but her chest ached instead. She knew she had been nervous about the show. She knew she was nearly worked up over it. Suddenly, it didn't seem as daunting as sharing a room with Rachel and Josh. It was bad enough that he was always at their place. Did he really have to be in their hotel room, too? For two seconds, she had been focused on the show and the tour and sharing a room with Rachel. For two seconds, she had forgotten about Rachel's 'super amazing' boyfriend.

"Quit macking and move over. Some of us actually walk through doorways instead of make out in them," Courtney grumbled, pushing past Rachel and Josh.

"Is there a party in our room?" Quinn asked, relieved to see more of her friends.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Switching between blind panic and…and whatever the chest aching- which she wouldn't classify or dwell on…well whatever was happening- switching between so many emotions couldn't be good for her health. She really needed a break but somehow knew that wouldn't happen until long after this tour.

"A party and I'm not invited? I am offended, Q," came another familiar voice from the doorway.

Rachel pulled away from Josh immediately and began squealing in an unknown language. The Lord above had somehow sent Quinn all the help she needed.

"Holy hell, Berry. Lung power," Santana smirked as the tiny brunette launched at her.

"Santana, what are you doing here?" Rachel asked breathlessly.

"B and I figured we'd stop by and see the show. We've got a U-Haul downstairs and we've been slowly making our way cross country. Didn't you get my email, bitch? You're getting new neighbors," Santana replied with a grin.

"Brittany's downstairs?" Quinn asked excitedly, getting up and hugging Santana.

The Latina barely gave Quinn any notice as she took in all the others in the room. She hugged her best friend lightly but immediately went into what Quinn had deemed "shark mode." Santana's gaze was sharp when first truly scanning everyone. Always checking for blood in the water. Quinn could swear that Santana's usually dark eyes would turn black as she swam through a room waiting to strike. Would Quinn be the unlucky fish? A known hunter like Santana always sought prey.

"You're moving to California? Now? You're in the process of moving?" Rachel beamed.

"Hold up. Introduce please," Scott called from Quinn's bed.

"Oh my. How rude. I'm terribly sorry," Rachel exclaimed quickly.

"Same old Berry," Santana sighed, waltzing further into the room as if she owned it.

Same old Santana.

"Santana Lopez. You're Scott. You're Courtney. I don't know you," Santana said to Josh.

"Josh. Josh Meyers. I'm Rachel's…friend," Josh shrugged.

"New boy toy?" Santana raised an eyebrow.

"Santana!" Rachel shrieked. "He's my boyfriend. Not some boy toy. That's gross."

Santana smirked and winked before her gaze landed back on Quinn. Her black eyes lingered on Quinn, sniffing out the situation. Just as quickly, her eyes softened and instead seemed to scan for injuries. Not to prey on the weak. Checking for blood that needed healing instead of for feeding. Santana hadn't seen her best friend in months, shy of a few skype dates. She scanned the blonde quickly to see if anybody had hurt her girl. Upon finding no injury, shark mode completely disappeared. Then the usual devilish grin emerged.

"Come on Fabray, stick up your ass? What's going on? If Berry's got a man, who's your lady love? This one?" Santana gestured to Courtney.

"Ew! No," Courtney replied. "Sorry, Q. I didn't mean that. You're way hot. If I would ever swing that way…"

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks Court," Quinn chuckled.

Somehow everyone had passed Santana's test. Quinn did notice when Santana's eyes narrowed a little again in Josh's direction, especially when he wrapped his arm around Rachel's waist. Catching Quinn's eye, Santana's lips pulled into a thin line. Quinn ignored her.

"So Scott, what about you? You like ladies? You like men? Where's your tabloid loving?" Santana winked.

"I- uh- what?" Scott looked at Quinn incredulously.

The Latina made herself comfortable leaning against the dresser. She crossed her arms and stared them all down. Usual devil. Not a hungry shark. The devil Quinn could deal with.

"This is Santana. We went to high school together. She's one of my oldest friends. She and Rachel have been somewhat close for years as well," Quinn replied as if that explained it.

"Baby, I think I got lost," Brittany's voice came in from the hallway.

"In here, B," Santana grinned stupidly at the sound of her girlfriend.

"Rachel!" Brittany exclaimed and scooped the smaller girl up in a hug.

The two were squealing and hugging. Everyone else was laughing. Josh sat on Rachel's bed, placing his bag next to him. Just moving into their room if he owned it. Quinn narrowed her eyes but quickly averted her attention when she felt Santana's eyes watching her yet again.

"Everything okay in here?" Chase asked from the doorway.

"You're Lucas!" Brittany squealed, flinging herself on him and hugging him tightly.

Chase looked totally bewildered and a little creeped out while Brittany clung to him tightly.

"Or you know, Chase. Are these…fans?" Chase asked, attempting to pry Brittany off.

"Friends from high school," Quinn laughed. "That would be Brittany around your neck and this is Santana."

Eventually the whole cast made their way into Rachel and Quinn's room to be introduced to their high school friends. Santana said that Mike and Tina, who lived in Chicago, were coming to the show that night as well. It was a tiny McKinley reunion.

The show started at 8pm on the dot. At 7:57, Quinn nearly threw up. She dry heaved twice while Rachel patted her back and whispered soothing words into her ear. Matt picked Quinn up in a tight bear hug and wouldn't let go until she assured him she wouldn't vomit. AT 7:59, Rachel took a deep breath and went into Rachel Berry The Star mode. She straightened her shoulders and transformed into the most high-school-esque Rachel Berry that Quinn had seen in years. She wasn't really surprised by Rachel's quick transformation but wished she could get back some of her old Quinn Fabray swagger and confidence just to make it out there.

8pm and the band started in with the first song. Rachel skipped out onto the stage to a deafening roar. She swallowed the lump in her throat and waved excitedly.

"Hello Chicago! It's great to see you!" Rachel shouted.

The roar grew as the audience went nuts.

Backstage, Matt squeezed Quinn's hand and nodded at her. The two took the stairs and joined Chase and Rachel on stage. Another roar burst from the crowd as they were introduced.

Then all the cast was on stage together singing like it was the first day of filming. Nervous but excited. They were feeding off each other and the audience. It was unlike anything they'd ever felt before.

Two hours later, Quinn stood next to Rachel and grabbed her hand as they all bowed to a standing ovation. They had just performed their first concert ever and the fans loved every second. Quinn was buzzing with excitement as they all ran off stage. As soon as they were backstage and down the stairs, they all started hugging each other and squealing happily.

"That was amazing!" Chase shouted and picked Quinn up.

He twirled her around while some of the others snapped pictures and immediately tweeted them. Chase put her down and Quinn found her way to Rachel. The brunette threw her arms around Quinn's neck and screamed. Quinn laughed and pulled her tight. They swayed from side to side. Rachel went to kiss Quinn's check as she started to pull away.

"Q!" Scott shouted from across the room.

Quinn turned her head to Scott just as Rachel leaned in. Somehow Rachel Berry ended up kissing the corner of Quinn Fabray's lips. They both pulled away, immediately stuttered and turned red while Scott slapped his knees and laughed hysterically at them.

"Sorry," Quinn muttered.

"My fault," Rachel replied immediately.

They blushed even further red as Scott grabbed Quinn in a hug and started teasing her about macking on Rachel. The high from performance wasn't going to wear off for a while. Of course that was the only reason Quinn's heart was racing- nothing else.

A few hours later, Rachel and Quinn sat in their hotel room with Santana, Brittany, Tina, and Mike. It was amazing to see how their excitement hadn't diminished at all. They were still buzzing.

"I can't believe I just saw you guys in concert," Mike laughed for the sixth time.

"I can't believe you guys have children," Quinn teased back.

"Two," Tina grinned.

"Good God, what is the world coming to?" Santana smirked, before flopping back on Quinn's bed.

It was a mini New Directions reunion in the same city where they won their national championship. Six of the people from the one club that had changed the paths of all of their lives were reunited in the place it really took off for them. It was amazing to see where everybody ended up. They swapped stories about the rest of their former club members. It seemed everybody had tabs on somebody. They were happy to check in on their extended family and see how everyone's lives were panning out.

"It's really great to see you guys. We should come visit more," Rachel smiled sincerely.

"Please do. You're always welcome at our place," Mike nodded.

"We will. We'll be back and then we'll get to meet your wonderful kids. I still can't believe it. How about a weekend in September? We'll be back to filming but we should still have weekends away," Rachel explained.

"We? You speak for Q now? Just cuz you guys live together," Santana laughed.

"I do speak for Quinn and she loves it."

"Sure do," Quinn joked before Rachel launched a pillow at her.

The two fought back in forth over the pillow before Quinn eventually won, tugged it away, and swatted Rachel on the back of the head with it. Santana stared at them. It was strange to see the former enemies acting like best friends. They weren't acting. They were legitimately best friends. Strange but in a way it made sense. Santana smiled as she watched them. Her little Quinn was growing up and maturing so fast.

"Life sure is weird sometimes. I never would've thought I'd see the day when Quinn Fabray and Rachel Berry not only got along but were best friends and roommates," Tina winked.

Quinn flushed at the mention of their past but Rachel merely beamed and leaned over to hug Quinn to her side. The rest of their friends laughed in amazement. Quinn Fabray wasn't disgusted by a Rachel Berry hug. She accepted it happily.

Santana quirked her eyebrow and filed some things away for another time. She'd been watching them all night. The shark had found blood after all.

"Stranger things have happened," Rachel giggled happily.

"Yeah like Chang squared having kids," Santana snorted.

They all laughed while Brittany smacked Santana for being rude. It was great to see that some people and some relationships never changed. People who were meant to be would always find their way to each other. Tina and Mike found their way after breaking up and getting back together- breaking up again and then getting back together and getting married. Santana and Brittany found their way too after a few ups and downs- and a brief weirdness with Sam Evans. Still, people who were meant to be would find their way. Quinn was relived that Finn and Rachel hadn't turned out to be that kind of couple. Somebody knocked on the door.

"Come on in. It's open," Rachel called, expecting Josh.

"You really shouldn't leave that unlocked like that. I'm sure some fans know where we're staying," Brooke laughed.

Courtney, Scott, and David followed behind the blonde.

"What are you all doing here?" Quinn asked.

"Well we always party at your house. Why should the tour be any different?" Courtney smirked.

The cast and former New Directions members all hung out and drank some beer that Courtney and Scott brought over. David sipped on apple juice since he was technically underage and didn't want to get caught on tour drinking. The last thing they needed was another backlash with bad press. Chase, Matt, and Josh watched baseball in Chase's room and drank in there. Rachel hadn't actually minded that her boyfriend would rather spend time with the guys than hang with her high school friends. The guys were relaxing with beer. Rachel and Quinn's room was slightly more chaotic.

The people in the girls' room were a little more rambunctious. They were prone to burst out in song from time to time. The beer certainly loosened everyone up a bit too. Santana was always loud. Brittany was always bubbly. Courtney was just as loud as Santana. Brooke was wild and hilarious. She rapped for all of them.

"I think you two should be a couple," Santana said to Courtney and Brooke.

"In real life?" Brooke asked, shaking her head.

"I'm actually quite straight," Courtney giggled, falling into Brooke's side drunkenly.

"No, not in real life. Straight girls are always thinking I want them to be gay. I mean on the show," Santana clarified. "You guys are besties on the show. Little one over there is the resident gay. What about lesbians? We exist. We also existed in high school. It'd be nice to have some visibility on TV."

"You'd get more screen time if you had romantic interests," Scott nodded, drunkenly.

"I like it!" Brooke exclaimed.

"We're so telling Alan. We're gonna be in love," Courtney agreed.

"Good," Santana nodded.

Typical Santana to plot everything. It was natural that she watched the show her best friend was on. She and Rachel had become closer in New York once she had moved there. Of course she was going to watch a show the two of them were on. She also wanted to find her high school self on the show. Alessandra reminded her of herself. Courtney did too. Her character though was a little bitchier than Courtney actually was. Her character was a lot like the old Santana. She always paid attention to the cheerleaders in the background. Alessandra and Jennie were perfect to be the television versions of Santana and Brittany. Santana was determined to make it happen after the second or third episode. Now she planted the seed. It was only a matter of time in her opinion. She would have a television character created in her likeness. She was going to have her own show. It was like crossing off several items from her bucket list while getting that much closer to world domination.

"Okay, okay. Time to kick you guys out. We have flights to catch in the morning and interviews tomorrow evening. You cannot look like hung-over messes at the airport. Please wear sunglasses if you must," Quinn commanded.

"Yes, mother," Courtney teased, leaning over to kiss Quinn's cheek.

"Good night, mother," Brooke giggled, kissing the girl's other cheek.

"Mama Q," Scott grinned stupidly, making Quinn laugh.

He pointed to his cheek. Quinn rolled her eyes but kissed his cheek anyway.

"See you in the morning," David called, gathering up the drunken troops.

"Speaking of morning, we should be going. The kids will be up bright and early and we'll need to be on our toes," Mike smiled warmly hugging both girls.

"It was great seeing you guys," Tina hugged all of them.

"Do you guys have a room?" Quinn asked watching Santana and Brittany snuggle on her bed.

"Course we do. Where do you think we did it before your concert?" Santana laughed.

Quinn rolled her eyes. Of course, Santana and Brittany had sex before the concert. Of course.

"You plan on sleeping there?" Quinn asked with a sigh.

The two former Cheerios were curled up on Quinn's bed. They looked seconds away from passing out. Brittany snuggled closer into Santana's side.

"Our room or right here? Cuz I'm not moving. Are you moving, B?"

Brittany shook her head and buried her face in Santana's neck.

"Slumber party?" Rachel asked with a small grin.

Quinn shrugged. She was slightly buzzed but not nearly as drunk as the others had been. Rachel had only had one glass of wine. The brunette got up and brushed her teeth. When she got back to her bed, Quinn was already curled up asleep inside it. Rachel smiled and shook her head before crawling into bed with the blonde. She looked over at Santana and Brittany who were curled around each other snoring softly but both smiling. It warmed her heart to see her old friends, even Tina and Mike. They were all still together and still in love. She figured it must be nice to have found the one when they were so young, to always be so sure. She and Finn had never been as steady as the couple across from her or the one that left earlier. So far the most constant person in her life had been Quinn. They'd had their rocky patches but Quinn was still around. With that thought, Rachel started to doze off. She stirred slightly when Quinn rolled over and wrapped her arm around her. Rachel smiled to herself and snuggled back into Quinn's embrace. Neither noticed Santana's satisfied smirk across the room. Blood in the water, indeed. The Latina settled back in and started snoring with her girlfriend.

Josh crashed with the guys after the baseball game. His bag remained at the foot of the bed Santana and Brittany slept on.


	8. Chapter 8

The rest of the tour had been amazing. The cast never ended up in the beds they picked out. In Vegas, Courtney and Matt had spooned in Quinn's bed while Rachel and Quinn curled up together once again. It had only been awkward for Courtney and Matt the following morning but the two quickly got over it. In Miami, Brooke and Courtney had slept in Quinn's bed after a girls' night slumber party, while Rachel and Quinn had yet again ended up snuggled together. In Dallas, it had been Scott who had wormed his way into Quinn's bed. The difference had been that Quinn and Rachel curled up with Scott while David slept peacefully in Rachel's bed. In Seattle, Quinn and Rachel slept together in Quinn's bed while Chase stayed in Rachel's after Cameron had broken up with him. The two had become his confidants about his relationship woes and they had humored him with ice cream and plenty of hugs until the time for sleep rolled around and Rachel preferred to curl up to Quinn instead of their costar.

In New York, things changed. They had two shows in New York City. The first night, Rachel and Quinn stayed in Matt's bed while Scott, Courtney, and Brooke slept in Scott's bed and Matt slept passed out on the floor. There had been a little celebration after their first big show in New York. Rachel had adamantly refused to let any of them drink. Junk foods, laughter, and the movie _Selena _led them into the early hours of the morning when the majority of the cast passed out in the same room. Matt had been banished to sleeping on the floor after one too many "J-Lo's ass" comments and hints at a threesome with Rachel and Quinn.

The second night, Quinn stayed in Matt's bed again. This time it was because Rachel had Josh in their room and Quinn wanted to give the couple some privacy. He hadn't actually gotten to stay with them in Chicago and he had practically begged Quinn to let them have the room alone. So Quinn bunked with Matt and Scott. Scott ended up sleeping in David's room after they played videogames all night. Somehow Chase ended up claiming Scott's bed. Then the three of them proceeded to get really drunk while Quinn complained about being alone.

"I just feel like I'm never going to have anybody, you know. You ever feel that way?" Quinn slurred, taking another chug from her beer.

"My girlfriend broke up with me because she doesn't like that I'm successful and she's jealous of you and Rachel. I feel you, girl," Chase mumbled, taking a long pull from his own beer.

Matt high fived him just as Courtney appeared in the doorway.

"Are you two seriously getting Fabray tanked in here?" Courtney asked with disgust.

"We're having a bro night. Are you a bro? Nope, you can't join," Matt responded, drunkenly.

"We had a girls night with Chase in Seattle," Quinn burped.

Courtney raised an eyebrow at Chase and attempted to hide her amusement at the idea of a girls night with their costar.

"Cameron broke up with me right before Seattle," Chase answered her unspoken question.

"And you didn't tell us?" Courtney challenged, immediately concerned.

She knew that boys dealt with things in different ways but they had become a family, especially on tour. She couldn't believe that Chase didn't tell any of them that Cameron broke up with him.

"I didn't want to deal with it on tour."

"We had ice cream," Quinn blurted, spilling a little beer in her enthusiasm for the ice cream.

"You had ice cream with beer?" the brunette inquired with a grimace.

"Not tonight. In Seattle. Girls do ice cream. Boys do beer," Chase shrugged, holding up a can toward Courtney.

"I don't even want to know what the hell you guys are talking about. Did you get dumped Quinn? You had a girlfriend and didn't tell us? Everyone's keeping shit from me."

"No, Court. I had one. Once. In college. She was a bitch. She liked boys. Same old story. They always like you until they like their boyfriend. Then they only like their boyfriend and you're alone," Quinn muttered.

Courtney was silent for a moment. Quinn was beyond drunk. Sure, they all liked to drink and the tour had been no exception. The whole experience had basically been some strange whirlwind with crazy nights and screaming fans. This was the drunkest Quinn had ever been around any of her cast mates.

"Where's Berry?" Courtney asked.

"Huh?" Matt questioned back, obviously confused.

"You know, Rachel Berry. Our costar. About five one. Tiny. Really loud. Cute. But really loud," Courtney rolled her eyes.

"I don't know. I think she went to dinner with Josh," Chase replied with a mouth full of potato chips.

Courtney stared at the two guys. They were stuffing their faces with potato chips. Quinn was drunkenly dancing by herself between the two beds. Courtney rolled her eyes. She was not getting in the middle of it. The tour was almost over and she was exhausted from not sleeping the night before.

"You two are disgusting. If I find out tomorrow that you got her drunk and double-teamed her, I will kill you," Courtney groaned and left.

"Ew! Don't double-team me!" Quinn gagged.

"We wouldn't! Oh man, that is…I will never get down with Chase Cardell in the room," Matt laughed disbelievingly.

"Gross man. I never wanna see your junk," Chase snorted.

All three dissolved into giggles as Courtney left. When Quinn woke the next morning, she was wrapped securely in Matt's arms. He was snoring into the back of her head but had her held tightly against him as if protecting her. She attempted to wiggle free. She blinked rapidly, trying to remember the night before but quickly realized too much blinking made her nauseous.

"Morning, Sunshine. Feel like hell?" Chase asked with a grin from the other bed across from her.

Quinn groaned in response and buried her head in the pillow.

"There's room service on the way. You have a Bloody Mary coming. Don't smell it when it gets here. Just drink it. A little alcohol will help with the hangover," Chase replied.

Quinn pulled away from Matt and smacked his head none too gently. Matt sputtered and sat up quickly. Then immediately flopped back down into the pillow with a groan. Quinn and Chase laughed before clutching their heads.

Quinn gingerly got out of bed and showered in the boys' room. She threw on Matt's shorts and one of Chase's t-shirts before eating breakfast with the guys. Her head was pounding.

"So on a scale of one to super embarrassing, how bad was it?" Quinn asked while chewing on a piece a bacon.

"You cried a lot," Matt laughed, chomping on eggs.

Quinn internally groaned. Of course she cried. She was either a cuddly drunk, an angry drunk, or an emotional drunk. It really just depended on the type of alcohol. Beer drunk was usually angry. Wine drunk meant emotional, as evidenced by her many heartfelt confessions she'd shared over the past few months with Rachel. Tequila and most liquor made her a cuddly drunk. Crying over beer was new but not entirely surprising.

"Yeah and if I meet this Jessica bitch, I'll hit her. Okay no, I won't. Guys shouldn't hit girls. But I'll tell Rachel to hit her. No, Rachel's tiny. We'll get Court or Brooke to do it," Chase nodded.

"That's it? Just a lot of Jessica crying?" Quinn asked.

She searched her brain for anything but couldn't remember much after Courtney left. She still wasn't sure what prompted her need to get drunk. She just knew she had feelings she didn't want to deal with. She had wanted to forget everything. Squash it all down again once more. Life was moving too quickly and changing every second. She wanted time to herself, time to deal with all of the changes, and her changing feelings.

"Yep. And you really don't like Josh. You made that clear," Chase laughed.

"Josh? Really? He's okay," Quinn cringed.

"Nah. You think he's an asshole because he reminds you of some Brody guy. Must've cheated on Rachel or something. It was basically nonsense by that point. Then you passed out," Chase grinned, before shoving toast into his mouth.

"Nothing else?" Quinn questioned, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Oh yeah. You think Court and Matt should get married," Chase chuckled with more food in his mouth.

"You did not say that," Matt rolled his eyes.

Quinn breathed a sigh of relief. She watched her friends shovel food in their mouths. They were disgusting but they were good guys. They took care of her. She had really found a home within the cast. Matt and Chase were the older brothers she never had. They were protective but teased her. They were kind but blunt. Somehow they were closer than any of the guys she had been friends with in high school. Maybe that was because she dated most of her male friends back then.

"Yeah….and there is some dude named Puckerman whose ass we're totally kicking," Chase said, then chugging his Bloody Mary.

"Puckerman? Really? I regressed all the way to Puck? Man, I must have been wasted," Quinn groaned.

"Yeah, you said if we took advantage of you like Puckerman and you ended up preg with one of our kids, you'd have our nuts," Matt laughed, nodding his head proudly.

"Oh God."

They ate in silence for a second. Quinn was fighting a smile around her toast. She loved her friends. She never thought she'd get to experience all of these things or find such a great group of friends after the New Directions. Even with the glee club, she'd often pushed them away. This group wouldn't let her. Maybe spending days at work together, meals after work, tours, press conferences, flights, and really nearly every hour of every day together had forced her to let them in. She'd never felt more accepted.

"So you really only had sex with a dude once and you were wasted? How do you know you're lesbian for sure, if you've never given it a second go?" Matt asked, before bursting into more laughter at Quinn's face. "Kidding! I'm kidding!"

Quinn threw a pillow at him with a grin and an eye roll.

* * *

The last stop on the tour was in Los Angeles. There were no hotel rooms booked. Two shows and then back to their own homes after each. Josh stayed over with Rachel both nights. The first night Mark, her former roommate, picked Quinn up after the show and let her stay at his house. They spent the night catching up and of course fueling gossip when she left his house in the morning and was caught by the paparazzi in the same outfit from the night before. It hadn't been quite how she had expected for the media to start speculating about her 'showmance' with her former roommate, but it worked none the less.

The second night, Quinn stayed with Matt. Courtney showed up in the middle of the night and Quinn took to the couch. Courtney and Matt had obviously reconciled once again. After about an hour of trying to ignore whatever was going on in Matt's room, Quinn went across the courtyard and knocked on Scott's door. The boy let her in without a word and they both curled up in his bed. Scott was all-knowing guru of the group. He could just read people. He probably knew Courtney and Matt were going to get back together before they did.

"How long?" Scott asked.

It was dark enough that they could barely make out each other's shape in the bed since they weren't touching. Quinn's back was just a dark lump beside him. Scott watched her breathing and knew she was still awake.

"What?" Quinn questioned back.

"It's Rachel, right. She's the one who's had you all in a funk the past few days. Rachel and Josh."

Quinn stiffened and didn't reply.

"You don't have to tell me. I was just curious. I don't think anyone else knows."

Quinn made a noncommittal grunt. She wasn't really sure what to say. She knew out of everyone in the cast, well everyone except Rachel, that Scott was the person she trusted the most. She wasn't really sure when but he had become her confidant of sorts. Chase and Matt were her older brothers but Scott was the epitome of the relationship she wished she'd had with Frannie. He was always open, always honest. He never judged. He was just there for her. If she'd had a brother like him when she had been pregnant...her entire life would've been different if she'd had somehow who just inherently understood her the way that Scott seemed to.

"It is Rachel, right? How long have you been love with her?" Scott asked softly.

He reached over and rested his hand next to hers, palm up. Her pinky grazed his lightly. Quinn let her hand hover over his until finally she locked their fingers and squeezed his hand.

"I'm not in love with her. I- I just…I don't know," Quinn whispered.

"It's been a while though. Right? Like you feel something, don't you?"

Quinn nodded then realized he couldn't see her in the darkness.

"It's been a while," Quinn confirmed.

"Q-tip," Scott sighed.

Quinn rolled over into his open arms and hugged him. She felt all of the feelings she'd been ignoring swirl around in her stomach, threatening to burst.

"I know it's stupid. It hasn't been a problem before. I could just squash it down. I could ignore it. I just feel like…the tour changed things ya know. We're roommates. She's my best friend. Of course I care about her. It'st just…on stage, we'd take our final bow and there she was. Her hand in mine. In front of all those people. It was the first time I thought I could do this. I don't have to be afraid. I could tell the world who I am. Then she'd let go and I'd nearly suffocate," Quinn explained barely above a whisper.

She hadn't even let herself acknowledge those thoughts until she was voicing them aloud to Scott. She was shaking a little as she confessed everything she hadn't let herself feel. Maybe it was love. Maybe it wasn't. She certainly felt something more than platonic for her best friend. This cast- these friends made her feel okay with being herself. Rachel made her feel like she could be even better. Rachel made her feel like she was good enough. Rachel made her feel like she didn't have to hide.

"Look, Josh is a dime a dozen. Guys like him will come and go for girls like Rachel. He's on Broadway. She's Hollywood now. For him, she's a step up. For her, he's…convenient, familiar. She won't need a guy like that. He'll be gone before you know it and you'll still be here," Scott assured.

"What if I'm only okay with me, when I'm with her?" Quinn asked.

"You won't be. You've known Rachel forever. She's home for you. She's your safe place right now. It makes sense. Someday, some girl is going to make you feel proud to be yourself and not only that she'll make you ten times better. You'll feel safe and you'll make her safe. Right now Rachel is all you know. One girlfriend years ago and now a roommate. Of course, you're close. Of course, it's easy to think it's something else. You wanna know something? The reason Court and Matt are back on? You guys got closer and it was easy for Courtney to think it was something else. Courtney thought Matt had feelings for you. Hell, I thought Matt had feelings for you," Scott chuckled gently.

"Courtney knows I'm gay," Quinn rolled her eyes with a tiny laugh.

"Yeah but Matt's not. That's all it took. Seeing somebody else potentially take what's yours. Courtney was freaked. You and Rachel have had this bubble that was all your own. Josh burst it. Now you're freaked. We've all been in this little _SING!_ bubble. You had Courtney freaked. Matt was her constant in this mess. Rachel's been yours. It doesn't have to mean anything more than that. It doesn't have to mean you're in love with her. Only you can really figure out what it means."

"You think I want to feel like this? I keep going back over things from high school and seeing them in a totally different light. It's like rewriting my entire history. It's totally messing with my head and I don't know what to make of it. My entire life changed in a year. Everything is upside down and I know it's been stressful. She's been constant but…even our history looks different now."

They both were silent while Scott absorbed that information. Quinn stared into the darkness. Her eyes were adjusting so she could finally make out the patterns in his ceiling. She traced each curve around the dark lighting fixture. She let her eyes follow each swirl out into the rest of the vast ceiling. All her feelings starting at a focal point in the same way but spiraling out into a multitude of directions. Which swirl was how she really felt? Stress and the need for a constant person in the insanity? Josh bursting her bubble? Or was it a different swirl to the left? Picking on the girl she secretly admired? Tearing her down to avoid letting her too close? Knowing deep down that Rachel had always been the only person with the ability to completely destroy her? Knowing deep down that she's loved her all along?

"So this has definitely been going on for a while," Scott cleared his throat.

"Quite a while," Quinn agreed.

They snuggled into each other. Quinn traced the swirls of the ceiling until her eyes grew heavy. She let herself get lulled into a sense of comfort by the easy in and out of Scott's breaths. Eventually her mind stopped racing long enough for her to fall asleep. Scott held her a little bit longer and then pulled away. He got up and went to his living room.

His phone was flashing on the kitchen table from several missed calls. He shook his head and hit the call button beside the latest missed call.

"Yes, she's here," Scott said with a smile after the other person picked up.

He listened to the relief in the other voice.

"I think she went there first but I'm pretty sure Courtney and Matt are back on. I know she was at her friend Mark's the night before," Scott replied after another moment.

There was a long rant on the other end of the line. The caller picked up volume in somewhat of a panic. He shushed gently.

Scott shook his head with a grin, "She's fine, Rachel. She just wanted to give you guys some privacy. Let me enjoy my Quinn-time tonight. You can have her back tomorrow."

Rachel's voice softened on the other end. Scott nodded to himself as he listened to her explanation of the evening's events in her apartment.

"Call him back if you want to. If not, maybe you and Josh need some time to cool off. Let him shake it off a little. You can get some sleep and he can stay at his place for a night…because we, guys in particular, are idiots…don't worry so much. Quinn is fine…of course I will take care of her….I will return her to you in the morning in perfect condition," Scott laughed.

There was a moment of silence before Rachel responded again.

"Good night, Rachel. I promise. She's fine," Scott answered before hanging up.

He stared at the screen for a minute. Eleven missed calls. All from Rachel Berry desperately looking for Quinn Fabray. Scott shook his head again with a small grin. He crawled back into his bed as quietly as possible. Quinn rolled over and snuggled into his side.

Scott stared at his ceiling. He traced the familiar swirls and wondered if Quinn had any idea how much Rachel cared. He wondered if Rachel even knew how much she cared. He drifted off to sleep with a lullaby in his head that sounded vaguely like the aching relief in Rachel's voice upon knowing Quinn was okay mixed in with the smooth gentle yet pleading tones of Quinn's voice wishing Rachel cared- the beautiful symphony of a love not yet known.


	9. Chapter 9

"So after the tour, things really took off for both of your careers. Quinn you immediately filmed a movie, correct? And Rachel, you became a spokeswoman for PETA," Rita Jones, skimmed through the small notepad she had sitting next to her water.

"_SING! _opened a lot of doors. Things that I never dreamed could happen became possibilities- thanks to the show. I never realized that in a position with that much recognition- I had a platform to address the issues that I cared about. It's weird to think that people- strangers- actually care about your opinion on...on anything," Rachel scrunched her nose, adorably puzzled.

"Not just that they care about your opinion, but that you're suddenly in this place where you can actually make a difference. That was the thing that shocked me the most," Quinn added.

"Through charity work? Things like that?" Rita asked with an understanding smile.

"Mmhmm," Rachel agreed. "I did a cabaret night in New York and all of the proceeds went to Broadway Cares, which is an organization that has always been very near and dear to my heart. It was so amazing."

Rachel had the full attention of the audience- as herself for the first time in her life. Not as Fanny Brice, or Elphaba, or Maria, or any character but simply as, Rachel Berry. People packed into a theatre to listen to her sing her favorite songs. They listened to her tell stories about her life and they donated their money toward a cause that Rachel chose. It had been an incredible night. One of the moments that hit home just how many of her dreams had come true.

"It's one thing to abstractly think you can make a difference. It's an entirely different matter when all of the proceeds of your sold-out cabaret night go to Broadway Cares- or when your twitter followers start a campaign to raise money for PETA for your birthday. It's incredible. It's very easy to think you're bigger than you are and it's very easy to let that get to your head. You kind of start thinking that you're invincible or something strange," Rachel shook her head with a disbelieving grin.

"You performed in that show with a mutual of friend of yours," Rita smiled knowingly.

"Our friend Kurt got to sing with me for the first time in years. He had been a designer for a while and had worked on several Broadway shows. He's been a part of Broadway Cares for several years. He really helped set things up. Not to mention he's one of my closest friends."

"And how exactly do you both know Kurt Hummel?"

"We went to high school with Kurt…and Mercedes Jones…and Artie Abrams," Quinn grinned proudly.

"And several others who have found varying levels of success in the industry. How does that much talent come from the same small town?" Rita inquired, truly curious.

"I've often wondered that myself," Rachel laughed. "Truthfully, I think we were very fortunate. We didn't go to a performing arts high school where that level of success was to be expected. My NYADA peers have been incredibly successful but I knew that was bound to happen. In Lima, we didn't come from the most supportive community. Instead, we formed a supportive community for ourselves. We encouraged each other even though we were all so different. I think there's a lot of talent in the world that goes unnoticed, that isn't nurtured. It's much easier to be successful when that talent is given room to grow. Many incredibly talented people are never given that chance. Somehow we found a safe space where we got to grow and flourish."

Despite his shortcomings as a teacher, Mr. Shuester had always provided a safe place for his students to grow and test their talents. He had somewhat forced them into friendships that should have ended after four years. However, the experiences they went through in Glee Club bonded them beyond those four years. They had created something special.

Rachel knew, even though there were times when she had been sure that Mr. Shue had been jealous of her talent, he had always believed she was capable of making her dreams come true. He had often pushed her to be a better person. He had pushed all of them. They each gained confidence outside of the status quo position they had obtained in the high school world. That confidence in turn helped each of them have the courage to follow their dreams.

Quinn Fabray would have married Finn Hudson, became a real estate agent, and had 2.5 children with a white picket fence around their yard. Instead, she learned she didn't need to be defined by her mother's ideals. Glee had taught her that. Glee opened her up to friends who believed in her, who saw her as more than an easy 'in' to the popular crowd. They stuck with her throughout her pregnancy. They cared when she had gone punk. She had pretended not to care about the club, to sit in the back and read books. In truth, she had watched them grow. She watched them accept each other. She learned to accept herself.

"So once you'd established yourselves on television- how did you keep grounded when it sunk in for the first time that- hey you're famous and people actually care about what you say and do?" Rita laughed.

Rachel and Quinn exchanged glances. It seemed like the idea of fame popped up at random moments. Sometimes it was finding out that fans raised thousands of dollars for the Trevor Project. They both cried when large donations were made to the organization on their behalf for their birthdays. Other times it was little things- like one on one fan interaction about how Rachel's personal story of growing up with two fathers changed a young girl's life because she was teased for having two mothers. Paparazzi shoved cameras in their faces as a constant reminder of the downsides of fame. Then there were days when it was so rewarding. Or even days when it was easy to forget that Quinn Fabray was a name known by anyone outside of Lima, Ohio.

"Well first, you freak out. It's a little disconcerting to think that your life doesn't belong to you anymore. That's not the case, but it kind of feels like everyone else owns a part of you…especially when you're suddenly viewed as a role model for such a young crowd. Our show appealed to people of all ages but young girls were looking to us as role models, as guides. You can become overly aware of yourself in a strange way," Rachel answered.

It all happened so quickly. The realization that people were **_so_** invested in their opinions had been shocking and a little frightening at first. Rachel had success on a much smaller scale on Broadway. She had been happy to sign autographs for young girls waiting at the stage door. It wasn't on the same scale as being constantly recognized in the super market. On 47th street, when a girl gushed about how she wanted to be just like Rachel when she grew up, it had been thrilling and powerful, but not overwhelming. It had seemed like the sign that her dreams had come true. She had become her own version of Bernadette Peters or Patti Lupone. It had been gratifying.

When magazines began printing direct quotes about her views on PETA- or when Quinn's blog posts about equality and a local literacy foundation went viral, it had been shocking. Suddenly, it wasn't just career moves fans wanted to emulate; it was their entire lives. Fans were invested in Rachel's relationship with Josh. Some waited for him at the stage door night after night just to ask him questions about Rachel when he was still performing on Broadway. People stopped shouting "Emily" when they saw her and no longer assumed Rachel was her character. Instead, people wanted to know the in's and out's of Rachel Berry herself.

Rachel and Quinn both had moments when it would have been easy to let fame get to their heads. Rachel, in particular, had always struggled with the concept of wanting to be liked and heard. With the platform of fame behind her, it had been difficult not to think she ruled the world. It was as if she had finally attained the elusive high school popularity she had always craved but then multiplied it by a million.

"How do you handle that?" Rita asked.

"You surround yourself with people who are not afraid to tell you to pull your head out of your ass," Quinn laughed.

"People who knew you before you were on television...and people who would- yes, Quinn- tell you to pull your head out of your ass," Rachel chuckled.

"I'm guessing you relied on each other quite a bit to stay grounded," Rita smiled at the pair.

Rachel grinned at the blonde. Quinn was the rock to which Rachel had clung to during the difficult moments and then the healthy dose of reality when she got ahead of herself.

* * *

_A few weeks after the 1st Summer Tour_

_9 years ago_

"Amy thinks that if I wield my powers for good, I could be responsible for picking the next president," Rachel beamed.

Quinn looked up from her crossword puzzle and raised her eyebrow. Rachel nodded at her and smiled with excitement. The two were cooped up in Rachel's trailer while shooting season two promos. They had just finished the photo shoot for the new billboards. The crew was working tirelessly on setting up for the thirty second promos that would begin airing within a few weeks.

The network found a summer smash and wanted to double the _SING!_ promotions during their newest half hour comedy. Quinn had already been in Pittsburgh to being shooting her first feature film. Alan called and begged for a quick weekend to film a couple of thirty second promos. Quinn's director gave her the weekend off to fly back to LA. Then she would jump back into the film at full force the next week. It seemed the short summer hiatus was even shorter than expected.

Rachel tried to find Quinn multiple times during the promo shoot to grill her on her movie. It had all happened so quickly. Quinn had auditioned right before the tour and then found she got the part as soon as they returned. Within days, she flew to Pittsburgh for last minute details. Then Alan flew her back for _SING!_ promos. Rachel had barely had time to get a tan on the beach yet Quinn had flown back and forth across the country multiple times.

During a quick break, the two wandered off to hide in Rachel's trailer. Their catchup session had been interrupted by Rachel's phone nearly the moment they entered the trailer. Quinn busied herself with a crossword while Rachel buzzed around talking to Amy. Amy was one of the newest promotional interns brought in as a temporary replacement. Amy called multiple times a day. Amy was a huge Broadway fanatic. Amy was stuck up Rachel's ass.

Quinn was less than pleased by Super-Ego Rachel Berry. Every phone call from Pittsburgh quickly transitioned into Amy said this, Amy said that. Quinn told herself she wasn't jealous of Amy. She'd only been in Pittsburgh for a few days. It wasn't like Rachel was replacing her with Amy as her new best friend just because Quinn was filming a movie.

"You think, singlehandedly, you can pick the next president of the United States using your twitter account?" Quinn asked slowly, realizing Rachel was no longer on the phone.

Rachel set her phone down after ending the call with the intern.

"When you say it like that it sounds ridiculous. I simply meant that our followers see our endorsements- hair products, makeup, television shows, music, and yes, politics. The things we tweet mean something," Rachel replied haughtily.

Quinn watched her for a moment but didn't reply. Rachel eyed her before huffing.

"Don't make me feel stupid. You know exactly what I mean."

"Rachel," Quinn started softly. She fought desperately against the forming smirk, "You tweet about coffee...a lot. Do you think Starbucks has tripled its sales because you showed a picture of a Starbucks cup?"

"It's possible."

"Rach...I...for whatever reason, I actually **_do_** care about your opinions on many things. It's a little unsettling how much I take your opinions into account- especially considering that, right now, I'm pretty sure you're unhinged...if you have one million followers on twitter, at least a third- maybe more- are well under the voting age. They probably don't drink coffee. They need their parents' permission and most likely their parents' income to buy any products you would endorse…how can I say this in the least offensive way but still get my point across...you're not Oprah. We've been on television for a little over a year. I get recognized as 'that girl from that show where people sing'...we're not picking the president anytime soon," Quinn reasoned.

"But we could," Rachel insisted.

"Along with millions of other American who are registered to vote," Quinn countered.

Rachel huffed again and collapsed on the couch next to Quinn. Quinn laughed at her antics and shook her head. How time had changed...just a few years ago, the dramatics of Rachel Berry annoyed her, frustrated her, made her increasingly violent. Now everything the tiny brunette did was adorable and endearing. She resisted the urge to run her fingers through Rachel's hair as it fanned out on the couch next to Quinn's thigh. Touching Rachel had become an addiction. Like a desperate need for a nicotine fix, Quinn fought hard against her withdrawal symptoms. She tucked her hands under her own arms simply to keep them steady. The past four days without the brunette had been torturous.

"Why can't you let me be special? Just once," Rachel grunted, crossing her arms.

"Your head is big enough as is. Any bigger and you won't be able to walk through doors- or properly wear hats," Quinn teased.

Rachel rolled her eyes. She rolled over and crawled a little closer to Quinn. Her big brown eyes nearly begged Quinn to physically show her just how special she truly was. The addiction fought hard. It tugged at her heart so fiercely- Quinn was amazed she didn't tremor.

"For the record, you are special- and talented- and beautiful- and all of those other things...but you are not a political figure," Quinn chuckled, hoping to ease the pull with a joke.

"I could be. I could run for president," Rachel deadpanned.

"God help our country if that's the case. I'm pretty sure you're lacking some qualifications for that job. But hey, you can play the president in a movie. You can tell Alan to change 'captain of the glee club' to 'president of glee' on our show."

Rachel snorted and rolled over again. She wormed her way across the couch to put her head in Quinn's lap. She batted her hand at the crossword like a cat. Quinn tried to pretend she was annoyed. She lost that fight the moment Rachel started giggling while still swatting at the crossword. Rachel settled down after a moment and looked up at Quinn. The blonde gave into her urge to comb brunette locks cascading down her thigh. It was better to play with Rachel's hair than lean down and kiss those pouting lips. She'd never been an addict before and wondered if she could truly die from this.

"I think Amy is really nice but she's entirely uninformed about politics," Rachel pouted.

Quinn laughed and rolled her eyes.

"I think Amy is obsessed with telling people what they want to hear. Plus, Amy is stuck up your ass. She thinks it's her job to inflate your easily inflatable ego."

"Hey," Rachel swatted at Quinn's arm in protest.

"You _are_ special and talented and beautiful...you're also my best friend so it's my job to say you're not the center of the universe," Quinn smirked.

Rachel rolled her eyes again and sat up, "I'm the center of _your_ universe."

Quinn snorted, "That is because I am slightly pathetic and have no life beyond this show."

"Not true. You're going to be a movie star," Rachel grinned.

Quinn blushed a shook her head. Rachel swatted at her again playfully. Quinn caught the offending limb and pulled, knocking Rachel off balance. The brunette nearly toppled from the couch but Quinn pulled her close instead, laughing while Rachel squirmed. The knock on the door interrupted what would have turned into some sort of wrestling or tickling match. Quinn was equal parts relieved and annoyed to return to set. It seemed since recognizing her feelings for the brunette she was constantly putting herself in positions of great temptation- a glutton for punishment. The days without Rachel made her take more physical risks. She wondered just how far she would push it after a month passed without seeing Rachel. If her filming schedule tightened and Rachel actually did that cabaret in New York, they wouldn't see each other for weeks at a time. She needed to learn to have more self control to make it through the rest of the summer.

* * *

"We relied pretty heavily on each other…and our other friends. Also my fathers have always been supportive but firm. They would never let me get too far ahead of myself. You rely on family and friends to make you feel normal. To tell you when other people are stroking your ego and to let you know when your head is swelling."

"And the cast and crew," Quinn nodded, jumping back in. "Our cast was so amazing because we went through all of this craziness together but still had many normal moments you share with your best friends. We met the president but then two days later we were having dinner at Scott's while arguing over who should win _Celebrity Apprentice_. We all tried to be as normal as possible with each other."

"But you were becoming celebrities. You were busy non-stop for the first two seasons. You filmed, you toured, Quinn made a movie- while Rachel did back to back cabarets, you both came back to set, and you filmed another season. Were you ever exhausted?" Rita asked with a wink.

"All the time," Quinn chortled.

"Totally," Rachel nodded with a grin.

"But worth it?" Rita inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Totally, Rachel nodded again, still grinning.

In the whirlwind of the first season, first tour, first awards season, it had been easy to get swept up in it all. They had been tired but kept pushing because each new thing was so exciting, too great of an opportunity to pass up. They had worked non-stop for two years between filming, promoting, touring, and filming again. They had been young and excited to do it.

It also meant that the cast had grown so unbelievably close. It meant that everything was accelerated. Quinn had gone from a crush on a friend to completely in love over such a short period. It had been the most bittersweet torture. Being so close to someone she wanted so much.

Quinn reached over and grabbed Rachel's hand. Just because she could. Rachel was hers now.

The brunette smiled at her and winked, locking their fingers.

The interview was going well but with every amazing experience in the public eye, there had been ten million more experiences in private. Ten million ways their personal lives changed. Ten million ways their relationships changed.

"Season two took some hits though. A lot of rumors popped up. There were a handful of scandals. Your personal lives really became exposed in some ways. Your relationships were uncovered much more. What happened in season two? Were there any on-set rifts?" Rita took on a more serious tone.

Quinn shrugged and chose to answer for both of them.

"There were so many rumors and ninety percent of the stories were fabricated to build momentum about the show. Stories about on-set drama with guest stars usually went hand in hand with promoting the fact that we had guest stars. Those stories had no basis of truth. Season two wasn't a backlash against the show, season two became about invasion of our privacy. The paparazzi started getting worse. Camping outside our homes. Following us in our cars. Hiding out near the studio. They weren't looking for the best shot. They were looking for the worst. We weren't prepared for that initially," Quinn swallowed uneasily.

"Your own family troubles became common gossip. Was that a major concern?"

"My father hadn't been a part of my life for some time. I expected stories about him to come out anyway. That was the way my family worked. Image was everything. It wasn't as if I was hiding anything in my life, including my sexuality. I was just trying to protect the relationships that were important to me," Quinn replied stiffly.

Quinn's father had cashed in on his fifteen minutes of fame. She'd been expecting that since the first season of _Champs._ He had played up the concerned father act as much as possible. When it was revealed that he had kicked Quinn out of the house during her pregnancy, he had denied it and swore she'd run away for fear of shaming her family. She and her mother had released a brief statement. Russell Fabray was her father and had been estranged after the divorce of her parents. She had a great relationship with her mother. Her father was a stranger. Any questions about her past and her pregnancy should be directed to Quinn and not the man who wasn't present for any part of her life for several years. They had cited irreconcilable differences as the reasons for her parents split and left it at that. Her stay with Mercedes had been virtually glossed over, leaving the Jones family's privacy intact.

It had been a very difficult time in Hollywood. It got to the point where they had all been practically afraid to have friends over because they were constantly photographed and thoroughly researched. Rachel was caught having coffee with Kurt and several magazines claimed she was cheating on Josh. Quinn was paired with every man she was photographed with. Sometimes, she didn't even know the guy who had been walking too close on the sidewalk. She didn't actively search for guys to act as beards but it seemed that she was paired with them anyway...especially costars. She hadn't addressed her sexuality. She hadn't lied about it. She hadn't ignored it. The press wanted to link her to whomever they had wanted to link her. It hadn't been a covert mission to hide her sexuality. She'd had no control over whom the paparazzi deemed relationship worthy.


	10. Chapter 10

**_WARNING: This is the chapter where the M- rating is earned for more than casual swearing. Sexual scene now included. If you don't want to read...skip over the part between the lines just like my Mom skips multiple pages in her romance novels when it "gets too smutty". No offense intended, gentle readers. _**

_New York/Pittsburgh_

_Nine Years Ago_

Things began to change over the short summer hiatus. Quinn was filming a movie in Pittsburgh. It was her first big budget film and the entire _SING!_ cast had been thrilled for her. She loved working with a different crew. It was a new experience. A different cast, a different crew, a different location. She had flown back to LA for a quick weekend to shoot promos for _SING!_ and then dove head first into the film as soon as she returned to Pittsburgh.

Shawn, her main co-star and love interest in the film, was an up-and-coming actor from Australia. He was very sweet and charming. He had been a little smitten when they first met. He quickly realized he didn't have a shot with Quinn. Rather than telling him of her sexuality, he simply assumed she had a boyfriend across the country. She never bothered to correct him.

Still, they spent most of their time together. He was charming in a way that wasn't entirely self-aware. He had moments when he knew that if he smiled a certain way and brushed his hair back from his eyes _**just s**_**_o_**- he knew what he was doing. Then in the most random moments when he tripped over a rock while filming or attempted a back flip to impress the former Cheerio- those were the few moments that endeared Quinn. He was entirely charming…when he least expected it.

Shawn was tall and athletic. He had shaggy blonde hair and tan skin that seemed to glow as if he'd always just come in from the beach. He was exactly the kind of guy High-School Quinn Fabray would have dreamed of dating. Now? He was exactly the kind of guy Lesbian Quinn Fabray wished would fully get the hint. It wasn't as if he was constantly flirting with her. In fact, most of his flirtation was natural and unforced. It was as if he simply couldn't turn it off. He would grin at the costume designer in such a way that made the elderly woman blush. Quinn knew that wasn't intentional. Even their director, who was a heterosexual man, had moments where he seemed charmed.

A small part of Quinn wished that she could fall for her costar. Life was simple in high school when she had dated Sam Evans. Shawn was far more confident and much brighter than Sam had ever been. Despite their rocky end, Sam had been the best boyfriend Quinn ever had. So many things about Shawn took her back to those days with Sam. Plus their off-beat humor was eerily familiar- one more quality that warmed Quinn to the guy.

She just wasn't warm enough. Their onscreen chemistry was phenomenal. Their off-screen friendship clicked almost immediately. Bantering with Shawn was like putting on a worn glove. It was comfortable and easy to slip into. It was also dull like a worn and frayed glove. It didn't quite serve its purpose- too many holes to completely warm her insides.

With Rachel, everything was familiar. Like the perfect glove- lined with fur. Though being compared to fur would surely piss off Rachel- that thought alone made Quinn smile. There were so many things that felt right with the brunette. She was comfortable. She fit perfectly. It was easy to slip into their relationship and simply _**relax. **_Warm content, protected from the cold, cruel world- so completely encompassing her entire being in a warmth that rivaled an inferno with even the briefest of glances or touches.

So while she enjoyed spending time with Shawn and was thankful to have such a gracious acting partner- there were so many holes in her heart that could only be filled by one person…the one person who was sequestered away in rehearsals in New York City for a cabaret night that was sure to be the talk of the town.

Quinn knew it would be hard to be separated from her roommate. She knew that Rachel had quickly become her best friend during season one. She recognized now that she had even fallen in love. She knew they wouldn't see each other every day when the blonde was filming across the country. She mentally prepared herself.

But it still hurt. She ached to hear that melodic voice. She loved the few seconds of each day when she could hear the small lift in pitch at the end of Rachel's answering machine message. She loved the breathy tones of excitement when they finally connected after a few days without a real conversation. She lived for those moments when the distance didn't seem quite so far.

As the weeks dragged on, the skype sessions waned. Instead of seeing each other every few days, they only called instead. Skype took too long to load and Rachel inevitably screwed up the connection somehow. She was the most technologically inept person Quinn had ever met. Texts were short replies fired off in quick breaks on set or between numbers during Rachel's rehearsals. There was a distance that was growing that had nothing to do with miles.

The movie was a great experience. The crew was fantastic. Quinn's costars were wonderful. The director was a dream who believed in letting Quinn try as many different takes as she wanted until they both agreed on what worked for the scene. All of the things going on around her were what she had secretly dreamed of...but somehow felt hollow without someone to share it with. To be more specific, she was miserable not having Rachel to share it with.

It had been raining nonstop for the past day. They had six scenes left to film. Four of those six scenes were outdoor shots. They filmed as much as they could but really need a good day to try to get as much shot as possible. Quinn and Shawn rehearsed, met with wardrobe, and tried to keep busy. Nobody wanted to loose an entire day of shooting on such a tight schedule. Quinn's worst fear was flying back and forth between _SING!_ and the film for the next few months if they fell too far behind schedule. Flying back and forth during that first week for promos and the movie had been exhausting. Not to mention, Quinn wasn't totally in love with flying. She really didn't want to start season two while finishing a different project across the country.

"We're off," Shawn announced with a crooked grin and dancing eyebrows.

Quinn looked up from her book at the unexpected intrusion into her hotel room.

"You hear me?" Shawn asked, flopping down on the edge of the bed.

He kicked off his shoes and stretched across the entire bottom portion of the bed, smacking her foot with his elbow in the process.

"It's kind of hard not to hear you when you barge into someone's room and screech at them," Quinn rolled her eyes.

She sat up higher on the bed so they were no longer touching. She criss-crossed her legs to put a little more distance between them. After marking her page, she carefully placed her book on the stand next to the bed.

"Hey now, Grumpy Pants. No need for the attitude. I just wanted to inform you that we have the weekend off. The weather is shit and they're giving us a break. The next two and a half days belong to us. Go to your bookshop. Go to whatever fine dining you prefer. You're free," Shawn laughed happily.

"Wait, we're seriously free?" Quinn's eyebrows jumped up in disbelief.

"Totally, 100% free for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday."

Quinn picked up her phone and checked the dates again. Rachel's cabaret was opening. The last time they'd actually been able to talk on the phone, they had both been so upset that Quinn was forced to miss it. Her schedule was just too tight and with _SING!_ just around the corner, she didn't want to push it. She was devastated. Rachel had promised that she wasn't truly hurt by Quinn's absence. The blonde knew better. This was her opportunity to fix everything. They could finally be in the same place at the same time. They could close the gap. They could fix her heart.

"New York?" Shawn asked.

Quinn shot him a look that said it all.

Upon arriving at JFK, Quinn was a bundle of nerves. She called Alan and somehow he managed to find two more tickets for the sold-out show. The powers of that man were a complete mystery to Quinn. He had connections everywhere. She was grateful and impressed.

Rachel had no idea. Kurt had no idea. The only people aware of Quinn's plans were Quinn, Shawn, Alan, and Quinn's producer.

She was excited and anxious. She never really loved flying to begin with but the treacherous weather hadn't been forgiving either. Turbulence rocked most of the flight. She felt frazzled- like she was splitting at the seams. She couldn't tell if it was the prospect of seeing Rachel again after weeks apart that played upon her nerves so perfectly or if the flight had truly shaken her to the core. Either way her hands were shaking as she reached for the rail aside the escalator.

Shawn placed a calming hand at the small of her back.

"A 'right there?" Shawn asked with a boyish smirk.

He laughed each time she gripped the seat during the flight. He seemed to take joy whenever he could place his hand upon hers and attempt to ease her fears.

The moment they stepped outside of the Jet Blue terminal, there was a flash. It wasn't until the third flash that Quinn realized it wasn't lightening from the gloomy skies.

Paparazzi. It wasn't the first time Quinn and Shawn had been photographed together. A friendly dinner in Pittsburgh had already fueled rumors of an impending romance. Getting photographed together outside the JetBlue terminal- things were about to spiral out of control. Rumors would really fly that they were dating. The studio pushed for neither one of them to comment so far. It was great publicity for a movie that hadn't finished filming. A weekend trip together to New York City? That was PR heaven.

Shawn opened the door to the backseat of their town car. Quinn slid in silently. Her carefully plotted surprise was backfiring before it had even begun.

The show was magnificent. From the moment Rachel stepped out under that spotlight, Quinn had been mesmerized. She was truly captivating. Her soul seemed to bleed into each song. The melodies twisted and soared into the deepest recesses of Quinn's being and made her hum with life. She was resurrected after weeks of merely going through the motions.

Rachel hadn't seen her. Alan could work miracles by procuring obscure tickets- but it wasn't as if he could magically produce a front row table to seat Quinn and her costar. She and Shawn had sat in the back surrounded by strangers who either paid no notice to Quinn or simply had the grace to tweet about it after the show ended. Rachel hadn't even been aware that the blonde was there.

Rachel awed the audience with her talent and brought them to tears when she sang of lost loves and missed chances. She was as charming as ever when she rambled on in between numbers about mishaps as a young girl struggling to make it in a challenging and cutthroat industry while navigating her way through college in an unfamiliar city. The audience roared when Kurt joined her on stage and laughed gaily when the two teased each other about their first apartment in Brooklyn.

With each anecdote, each song, each tangled tale in the struggles of a rising star- Quinn was captivated. The entire audience was just as caught up if Quinn had bothered to notice. She couldn't take her eyes of her best friend though. She couldn't peel her eyes away long enough to see if there even was an audience. If everyone else had gotten up and walked away, Quinn wouldn't have noticed a thing. She was completely swept away.

It was only as the lights came up and the man in front of her stood, blocking her view, that Quinn realized the show had ended and the entire place was giving her girl a standing ovation. Quinn leapt to her feet in a mixture of awe and pride. The roar of the audience was deafening and Rachel seemed totally blown away by the immediate and generous feedback.

Quinn and Shawn sat back down in their seats and waited for the small theatre to clear. Alan and a few others remained seated at a table on the floor close to the stage. The men were chuckling when Quinn and Shawn finally made their way down from the back of the house.

"She was brilliant. You certainly found a rare star, Peters," one of the men, clapped Alan on the back.

"She was," Alan beamed proudly.

A loud squeal broke up the conversation when Rachel came sprinting from behind the stage. Peels of laughter filled the room when she dove from the stage into Josh's arms.

Quinn hadn't even noticed the guy….Rachel's boyfriend.

He smothered her with kisses and praises while Rachel giggled. Eventually she wriggled free to attack Alan in a hug. He introduced to the few remaining men who were apparently producers- some Broadway and one film. Rachel politely shook hands with all of them but froze as she met the last one.

Her eyes crinkled as a huge grin broke out across her face.

"Quinn" was the breathless reply.

The tiny brunette barreled into her quickly. Quinn sighed in relief and blinked back sudden tears at the feeling of Rachel in her arms once again.

Rachel breathed in her scent deeply and felt ease seep into her bones. The missing piece clicked into place and that nagging feeling in her stomach- that she had attributed to nerves- untwinged. The brunette was surprised to find herself squeezing tears back from her eyes.

"You came," Rachel's eyes did water then.

She pulled back to see Quinn's face and affirm that the blonde had actually come.

"Of course," Quinn smiled.

The blonde gently reached up and wiped back the tears from Rachel's eyes. She placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Rachel was just the right height for holding and kissing her forehead. It wasn't a stretch it was perfectly easy to place such a gentle reassurance with her lips.

The clearing of a throat behind her reminded her that they were not alone. A blush crept its way unto Quinn's cheeks when she stepped back just enough from Rachel to appear slightly less intimate. She didn't want to entirely disengage. Her body had been craving that contact for weeks and refused to give it up entirely. Her fingers laced with Rachel's lazily, comfortably.

"I'm Shawn," the Aussie extended his hand.

Rachel blinked several times as an array of emotion flittered past her eyes. She smiled just as suddenly and shook his hand. Kurt came waltzing up shortly after commandeering Quinn and Shawn's attention while Rachel gathered her things from the dressing room.

After all of the necessary introductions, it was decided that a celebratory drink was mandatory. Alan was buying after all. Two of the men from Alan's circle bowed out politely and wished them a great night.

Two hours later, Quinn was drunk. She felt like that night on tour in the boys' room. The world was pleasantly spinning. It wasn't enough to make her nauseous but just enough to make everything seem a little blurred but beautiful. Like Rachel. Rachel was so beautiful. Rachel was stunning.

"You're stunning," Quinn murmured, slipping a little in the seat to bump Rachel playfully with her shoulder.

They were all crowded in a circular booth in the corner of the small pub. Alan's friend, Timothy- who was a Broadway producer- had grown up in New York and bartended at the establishment long before his days as a producer. It was dirty in the way that was appealing instead of appalling. Like it was just dark enough to have a little mystery but not dark enough to feel unsafe or unsanitary. It felt like a place that a struggling artist would frequent just to have a beer and forget about the world.

Alan and Timothy were across the table in the rounded booth. Josh was next to Alan. Rachel sat between him and Quinn. Quinn swayed back and forth between leaning too close to Rachel to sliding into Shawn's side. The Aussie found it hilarious and the humor of the situation only grew with each beer he guzzled. Kurt encouraged both blondes to drink even more finding their antics amusing. The designer perched at the end of their table upon a stool and kept the waitress busy with drink requests.

"You're drunk," Rachel smirked.

She tapped Quinn on the nose and the blonde went nearly cross-eyed trying to follow that finger. Rachel laughed lightly. She was tired and nursed her second drink. She didn't truly want to drink at all with another show the next night. Alan insisted. Her first drink went down quickly while the excitement from the show buzzed through her system. The combination of alcohol and adrenalin made her dizzy with intoxication of various sorts. She forced herself to slow down on the second drink for fear of a hangover.

Quinn, on the other hand, drank each time Alan, Kurt, or Shawn- or even Josh on one occasion- placed one in front of her. Shawn drank just as greedily. It was becoming apparent that Quinn would not be able to keep up with the actor though.

When the first few notes of "House of the Rising Sun" blared through the speakers, Quinn shoved Shawn out of the seat because she needed to dance. They all watched her drunkenly sway. Shawn smirked as she danced by herself. Somehow despite her intoxication, she was just as intoxicating to watch. She was effortlessly sexy swaying to the beat in the dim lights. Rachel watched her for a moment. Josh chuckled by her side, especially when Quinn crooked her finger and beckoned Rachel to join her.

Rachel found herself slipping out of the booth without really being aware of what she was doing until she was standing awkwardly in front of her best friend. A moment passed as the reality of the moment set in- Rachel realized just how unsexy and out of place she felt in an nearly empty bar standing within a foot of her dancing and undeniably intoxicating best friend.

Quinn smiled at her. For some reason, a shiver danced its way up Rachel's spine when Quinn lazily grinned like that- like she knew exactly how she looked and knew exactly what effect she had on anyone who watched her.

Quinn held out her hand for the brunette. Rachel took it immediately and Quinn twirled her to the beat. It wasn't sexy or putting on a show for anyone else. It especially lost its edge when the song changed into "What About Love" which became an interpretive dance of the song while Rachel and Quinn belted out the lyrics. Quinn twirled her and spun her like a ballroom expert one minute and then dramatically tossed her head back screamed out the chorus the next. They were both breathless and laughing when Kurt charged in to join. The three belted out several songs with some dance moves that Rachel wasn't really sure where appropriate for her level of sobriety. At least Kurt and Quinn had the excuse of inebriation to explain their Fosse moves. Still, she couldn't find it in herself to care when she was dancing with her two best friends. She couldn't find it in herself to care when Josh joined them with a third drink for the brunette.

Shawn stood up and clapped when they all returned to the table. Quinn pushed her hand against his face to turn his head to the side like a sloppy slow-motion slap.

* * *

Quinn wasn't really sure when time stopped making sense or when the night completely got away from her. She knew they had all been drinking and that Rachel's initial reluctance had disappeared. There had been several rounds of drinks and several rounds of dancing. Each time she thought they would stop drinking, another song would come on that promised more dancing. Each time she swore she was done dancing, another drink had been placed in front of her. It all became a blur. One minute she was dancing with Rachel again and thinking about how desperately she wanted to find the hotel to show her new ways to dance with a best friend.

Then she was aware of attempting to do just that. How it escalated was beyond her- the events leading up to this moment were irrelevant. It was like finally having a shot after months of sobriety. It burned her entire body from the inside out and all she was aware of was the small body on top of her stripping off that slinky black top Rachel had thrown on after the show.

Her jeans had disappeared without Quinn's recollection- which was a shame because as much as she'd always loved Rachel Berry in short skirts and dresses, her ass in tight fitting jeans was a thing to behold. She really wanted to remember peeling those jeans from the surprisingly long legs of such a tiny woman. She wanted to burn each touch into her mind but it was all happening so quickly.

Quinn knew she had been clothed at one point in the night. She was sure of it. She knew she had worn clothes in public but couldn't place when they had disappeared. However, there was no denying that she was very much naked. She was very, very naked underneath an equally naked Rachel.

Rachel shifted and everything clicked into place. Not the events of what exactly lead to anything that was happening- just the fact that it was happening.

Quinn moaned and the sound reverberated throughout her entire body. She felt the soft curves of flesh molding into her own. She glanced at the unfamiliar ceiling and briefed wondered if they were in her hotel room or Rachel's. She really didn't remember checking into her own. She didn't remember ditching Shawn or Josh- or any of the others.

Rachel smiled down at her regaining her focus. This beautiful angel- no goddess was actually on top of her looking down at her like she was the center of her universe. Quinn was overwhelmed. She loved her. She was so in love with and somehow was given this chance to prove it.

She wanted to take her time but in the back of her mind knew there wasn't time. She needed to take her. She needed to take her now. She couldn't wait. She'd been holding back for so long. A declaration of love was on the tip of her tongue but somehow she knew it wasn't the time. She would have to show her instead.

She flipped them over.

Rachel was spread out beneath her. Waiting. Ready.

Quinn's eyes fluttered shut in disbelief when she let her hand trace across Rachel's collarbone. Marveling at the impossibly soft skin. She forced her eyes back open. Even if it was quick and rushed, she still wanted to engrain some things into her mind forever- like the feel of Rachel's skin. She traced her hand down to find the steady thumping of the brunette's heart. It seemed to skip just as quickly as Quinn's own- like they were completely in sync.

The feel of her skin, the beating of her heart, the way her breast fit perfectly into Quinn's hand with the nipple pebbled up in a sure sign of pleasure, the sound of Rachel's gasp when Quinn tugged on the peak, and finally the taste of her lips when the blonde finally allowed herself the very contact she had desperately craved for what felt like an eternity. She had waited so long to kiss Rachel's lips. It didn't matter that she didn't know what lead to this moment- what mattered what this feeling.

The things she would never forget- Rachel's lips caressing her own tenderly, reverently.

The way her hand traced down the slim brunette's figure to the place where thighs eagerly parted and the slick arousal that greeted her.

Quinn shifted to squeeze her own thighs together to stifle some of her selfish growing need. It was simply too much and not enough at the same time.

She allowed herself a few minutes of exploration. Tracing lips with fingers. Bruising mouths with the intensity of their coupling. Tongues battling while fingers dipped and swirled. The mutual gasp when wandering fingers found the swell of pleasure. Then finally sliding into the warmth she never let her mind dream of but knew she needed.

In and out.

In and out.

Creating a rhythm and a dance all their own. Hips meeting. Fingers pushing. Walls fluttering.

In and out.

In. Deeper.

Surrounded by warmth and wet.

Building to some new peak.

Quinn shifted again allowing her weight to settle into each thrust.

The gasp. A choked off second gasp begging for air, begging for more.

A single moan in perfect pitch as only Rachel Berry could.

Whispered words too rushed and too quiet to be deciphered.

The brush of lips against Quinn's ear, promising so much in tone but having no idea what the actual words were saying.

It was all building to too much and still she knew it would never be enough.

Teeth tugged at her earlobe.

Nails gripped at her back.

She felt her own moisture trickle down her thigh in response.

Sweat glistened on her upper lip. Deep chocolate eyes followed the movement of her tongue swiping at the salty taste. Deep chocolate eyes with pupils completely blown and begging for

_Just_

_ A Little_

_ Bit_

_ More._

One hand tangled in blonde tresses to fuse their lips together once again.

Quinn pulled back with a gasp for air as Rachel tensed beneath her.

Push.

Pull.

Push.

Drag back out.

Slide back in.

Lips back to her ear tickling it with the puff of air.

"I love you."

Quinn pulled back to look at the face of the woman underneath her, the woman who was surrounding her, the woman who was squeezing her.

She needed the visual. She needed the confirmation of those words upon those lips- to see it in those eyes.

She needed-

** BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.**

-a shower.

* * *

Quinn caught her breath as she woke with a start- wishing she could chase the dream for just a few more precious seconds. She was so close. So close to everything.

She sighed in defeat and allowed her body to fully comprehend. The ache in her heart was just as bad as the ache between her legs. She groaned and shut off the alarm.

That had never happened before. She had never had such a vivid dream about Rachel. She had always shut down those thoughts. She fought so hard against being in love. She tried to ignore her attraction that morphed into infatuation and again into a passion and a need to surround herself in everything her best friend could and would offer. Her attraction had seemed secondary to the pangs in her heart.

Arousal was never as overpowering as the need to simply kiss Rachel and somehow make her understand. Suddenly it shifted again. Thoughts she tired to keep at bay, images she never wanted to tease herself with- they were at the forefront of her mind.

Rachel sparked all things within her.

She was throbbing. She wanted to claim the tiny brunette and bring her to peaks she'd only dreamed of. Now Quinn dreamed of them too…in vivid detail.

It was love and lust.

She was completely screwed.

She needed a cold shower.

That day brought little rest for Quinn's racing mind. She couldn't escape the images from her dream. It felt so real. She supposed after repressing her feelings for so long it wasn't shocking that once realized, she fell in love so quickly. The same with her lust. She had never been the type of girl who craved that physical completion. At first, any thought of exploring her own body was quickly expelled by the overpowering fear of eternal damnation. If she'd had needs, she had learned to ignore them and channel them into other outlets- like transforming her body into the fit physique of a Cheerio. Then a couple of wine coolers and eternal damnation suddenly sounded a lot more like an outlet, an escape from her fucked up family and a chance to quell the building thrum that seemed to build with each passing day as high school and hormones compounded.

After that entire mess, she'd learn to listen to her body but vowed to never put herself into that position again. Her hand was the only relief she would allow and even that was only as a last resort when the rising pressures inside her body threatened to drown everything she had worked for in regaining her popularity and retaking her role as a good Christian girl. It was a means to a end-certainly not the release of built up tension caused from lusting over someone in particular for months on end…and certainly not the culmination of loving someone so deeply that you needed to somehow physically manifest that love.

The most she had ever touched herself was during her punk phase. It was all part of the mystique and character of her new look. It wasn't a daily occurrence. It wasn't even really about the need or the release that came from it. It was more about defying all of her old beliefs and proving that letting go of her self-restrictions and religious restrictions meant finding pleasure in all sorts of things- including her own body.

Jessica had been the first time she could ever recall feeling that physical pull- that tug to touch and be touched. It had been wonderful and earth shattering in the way that finding and owning one's sexuality could be. Jessica had changed everything and most of that was without her really knowing how it happened.

Yet despite all of that, she never understood that lust that so many spoke of.

_I have to have you._

For Santana, it was second nature. That girl oozed sex appeal and sexual appetite. Brittany was the same way. In fact, nearly every one she knew had a different approach to their needs than Quinn did.

Wake a sleeping dragon. Now, like the incinerated villages after the dragon swept through, Quinn was a building inferno and the fuel fanning those flames was her own best friend. She understood all to well what it meant to need, to take and claim. It had consumed her thoughts all day. She kept replaying it all….especially…

I love you.

"Yes?" Shawn asked curiously.

Quinn shook her head.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Do you want a coffee? I'm just going to pop over to the stand near the start of the gates," Shawn clarified.

"I'm good. Thanks," Quinn replied.

Shawn watched her for a moment. She had been unusually quiet all morning.

"You sure you're okay?" Shawn questioned cautiously.

Quinn sighed and nodded.

Shawn silently battled with himself before eventually giving up and walking away.

Quinn tried to pull it together. Her shower had clearly her head only momentarily. She tried to push those thoughts to the back of her mind where they had been locked away, lying dormant for so long. It worked briefly. Then they came back just as strong, if not stronger.

When she and Shawn met up with Alan for brunch, she had hoped she could keep it together. She had succeeded in at least joining in part of the conversation. She contributed and grunted. She laughed at a few of the right moments. Then she abruptly panicked when Alan said Rachel had texted him that she was on her way.

Their exchange of hurried goodbyes when Quinn insisted she needed to pack her things for her flight was too short to be awkward. Quinn could barely look the brunette in the eye when they passed in front of the restaurant. Rachel tried to make it before Quinn bolted, while Quinn tried to leave as quickly as possible. If Shawn hadn't insisted on finishing his mimosa, they could've escaped before Rachel had shown up at all.

Rachel hugged her and wished her a safe flight. Quinn didn't know what response she gave or if it was even intelligible. All she knew was the second Rachel's arms wrapped around her and her hands pressed into Quinn's back tightly- Quinn felt nails piercing into her flesh as her best friend gasped in pleasure. Quinn pulled away as if she had been burnt, flashed Rachel an awkward smile, and promised to text when she landed safely in Pittsburgh.

Shawn returned with two coffees despite Quinn's earlier assurance that she didn't need one. He smiled and offered it to her anyway. She rolled her eyes but accepted the steaming beverage. She sipped it quietly, still battling her thoughts until Shawn put his arm around the back of her seat and tugged her closer.

"Just know, whatever crawled up your butt this morning- hangover, embarrassment of drunken behavior, unrequited love, PMS, love/hate relationship with fame, or just got up on the wrong side of the bed- whatever's going on with you, I can always listen," Shawn said softly.

The sincere moments when he wasn't putting on some façade of a super charming guy or attempting to be hilarious or acknowledging his own good looks- just the sincere moments when he offered real friendship…Quinn really did care for him.

"I don't think I really know what's going on," Quinn sighed.

Shawn nodded. They sat in silence sipping coffee until it was time to board. Shawn slept for most of the hour flight back to Pittsburgh. Quinn attempted to shut her eyes as well but was always greeted with images she needed to forget.

It wasn't until two weeks later when they wrapped on the film that Quinn even realized what Shawn had said to her in that airport. He knew her for a little over two months yet he saw right through her. He barely knew her but he read her perfectly and saw something her closest friends didn't see…or refused to see. He knew.

The press went wild with news of Shawn and Quinn's weekend adventure in New York City. It was just the beginning of so many things to come.


End file.
